She Will Be Loved
by BowtieHummel
Summary: Finn Hudson is hopelessly in love with his friend. His only problem is that she has a boyfriend she loves. A boyfriend that Finn cannot stand. So will Finn get the girl? Or will he be forced to move on and find someone else?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello dear readers! I realize I have a few other stories going on, but I could resist making another story idea into a fic. So here we are lol. This one is gonna be sort of angst heavy so get ready! I adore Finchel so much, therefore, I'm so excited about another chance to give them a happy ending. Welp, here we go! Remember: Reviews are love :)**

**We Love Cory Monteith!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything related. Those are the property of Fox, Ryan Murphy, and the other Glee writers.**

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Finn Hudson truly loved his life. That was something most people couldn't admit. He had started out in Lima Ohio, in the shittiest cow town known to man, before traveling to New York with his four best friends and taking the city by storm.

He lived with his brother in their little apartment and he was attending NYU to become a firefighter as he held down his part time job at the music store. The drums had always been a passion of his and he planned to teach lessons to kids as well as start his career as a firefighter.

His brother, Kurt Hummel, was currently studying to become a fashion designer at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Their apartment was always covered in odd fabrics and weird headless dummies thanks to Kurt. He had dated one Finn's best friends, Blaine Anderson for quite sometime before the two decided to split for a while. They were still extremely close and had never ruled out getting back together, but they both agreed to do a bit of growing up first.

Sebastian Smythe had never been his favorite person in the world but he was still a good friend. The guy could be a little pompous and stuck up sometimes, but he had a really good heart underneath. Especially after his bullying days had led the near death of a fellow student. Since then, he'd been a much better person and currently studying medicine at Columbia university. He lived in his own apartment in lower Manhattan thanks to his wealthy parents.

Blaine was going to New York's most prestigious performing arts school, the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts and was a Broadway fanatic. He was as gay as the sun was bright, but still loved to play video games and did lots of other 'guy' stuff with Finn. Blaine lived on the upper west side with Finn's other best friend Rachel Berry.

Rachel also happened to literally be the center of his world. She was the only person in the world Finn felt like he could talk to and not be judged by. Kurt and Blaine were awesome but there were some things they just didn't understand. Rachel was smart, beautiful, and talented as hell too. Finn always liked to compare her voice to a choir of singing angels.

She was pint sized but was so full of passion and love that Finn couldn't help but adore every single thing about her. She also attended NYADA and her lifelong dream was to be a Broadway star. Something Finn was sure would happen one day. It was inevitable.

God he loved her so much. He loved her more than anything in the whole world. He'd knowingly loved her since Freshman year of high school but he'd been too chicken to tell her how he felt. It felt like he'd loved her since they first met in the second grade. In his mind, telling her would only cause problems.

What if she didn't feel the same way? Then he would effectively ruin their close bond as best friends. Or what if they got together and then broke up, forcing Kurt and Blaine to take sides and ruining their close circle of friends in the process? He would never forgive himself. Living without her in his life would be complete torture.

Not that any of this stopped him from loving her from afar. From holding her when they watched movies together, and staring at her when she wasn't looking. He just couldn't help it.

The only problem was her stupid ass boyfriend Andrew Rose, the hot shot lawyer. Rachel met him her first day of Junior year in her dance class and they hit it off immediately. Turns out Andrews little sister, Marley, was one of her classmates and he'd come by to pick her up after class one day.

Now it was the start of their senior years at the respective colleges and her and Andrew were _still _together. Every time Andrew would come to pick her up for a date, Finn would curse him out as they left. It was safe to say that he didn't like Andrew very much. And then he had the audacity to suggest he and Rachel have an nonexclusive relationship for a while.

Underneath all of Finn's biased hatred though, he was an okay guy, a little pompous and annoying but he treated Rachel right. And that was the only reason Finn hadn't beaten his smug little face into a pulp yet. If Rachel was happy, Finn would just suffer in silence. He would rather her be happy with someone else than sad and alone. Her happiness meant everything to him.

"Finn? You okay?" Blaine asked as he waved a hand in front of Finn's face. Finn snapped back to reality and his eyes focused on Blaine's sweaty face right in front of him.

"Yeah I'm alright." Finn answered honestly. He and Blaine were workout partners. Kurt didn't like the gym and Rachel didn't like the thought of all those sweaty men that usually inhabited the space. She always said it was extremely unsanitary. Kurt and Rachel meanwhile, were diet partners.

"You kinda zoned out there man." Blaine chuckled as he stepped up onto the elliptical and jammed his left earbud into his ear. Blaine had gained a few pounds since moving to New York and was determined to loose weight. He blamed it on the turkey hotdogs stands we're selling now. He was a sucker for turkey hot dogs and mini blueberry muffins. And those were his downfall.

"Just thinking about stuff." Finn smiled at him and continued his weightlifting.

"Rachel?" Blaine asked knowingly. He was the only one who knew about Finn's undying love for his best friend. Kurt and Rachel were super close, not to mention Kurt loved to gossip. So he knew it would be a bad idea to tell Kurt about Rachel.

"Is it that obvious?" Finn asked, chuckling.

"Aren't you usually thinking about her?" Blaine laughed, "Besides, you get that glazed look in your eye, and that little half smile on your face." Blaine pointed out seriously.

"I better watch that huh? I'm surprised they don't all know." Finn grunted as he started his last cycle of weight lifting. Blaine agreed before he ran as fast as possible until his legs felt like jelly and he stepped off the elliptical, sweating profusely. Finn tossed his friend a towel and took a swig of his own water.

"So who's place are we going for dinner tonight? Kurt and Rachel decided yet?" Finn asked. Kurt and Rachel were the designated planners. They planned all of their dinners and get together. On occasion, Andrew would come eat with them, something that always ruined Finn's night. Thankfully, Blaine did his best to make sure that didn't happen as often as possible, something Finn was eternally grateful for.

Kurt would plan the venue and food while Rachel would cook. They were the perfect team. Rachel always tried to get Finn and Blaine to help, but they were horrible cooks. Finn actually set the stove on fire once and Blaine freely admitted that the only thing he could cook was frozen food and top ramen.

In that way, their living situation was pretty perfect. Rachel always cooked for Blaine, and Kurt always cooked for Finn.

"I think Rachel said our place tonight. Something about a tofu stir fry tonight." Blaine shrugged as he wiped his forehead with the towel and chugged more water like a camel.

"Ew. I hate tofu." Finn groaned. "It tastes like cardboard." Finn added distastefully. Blaine led Finn outside the weight room of Finn and Kurt's building and to the staircase.

"Then why do you eat it?" Blaine laughed as he and Finn trudged up the stairs to Finn and Kurt's apartment.

"Because Rachel likes it." Finn replied. Blaine smiled sympathetically at his friend and pat him on the back. "I hope Kurt cooked lunch or something. I'm starving." Finn said, changing the subject quickly.

"Well, he said he doesn't have his internship at Vogue until one today. And then he gets off at seven. So he should be making lunch right now. According to his schedule." Blaine rolled his eyes at Kurt's ridiculously thought out schedule. He and Rachel seriously spent hours each week planning out their schedules. It was a little excessive. For gods sake, he planned out when he used the bathroom in the morning and before bed.

"Awesome." Finn's stomach growled loudly as if to make his point. Finn unlocked he door and swing it open to the smell of cookies. "Fuck. What is the awesome smell?" Finn asked loudly, his nose registering the smell of Rachel's incredible snicker doodle cookies.

"Hey guys! I'm making sugar cookies!" Rachel's adorably chipper voice came from the wall separating the kitchen and living room. Her head popped up from behind the wall and she smiled her dazzlingly smile at Blaine and Finn. "They're your favorite right?" She added as Blaine sat down on the couch and Finn walked over to her.

He had to resist kissing her all over because of the flower that adorned her cute little nose. People always told her it was too big and she needed a nose job, but Finn thought it fit her uniqueness and beauty perfectly. She had on a pink, kiss the cook apron, and her luscious brown locks were tied back in a shiny ponytail that bobbed when she walked.

"All of your cookies are my favorite." Finn said truthfully as he kicked off his shoes before entering the kitchen. "You're amazing Rach. My stomach is already eating itself." Finn chuckled as he made it over to her and flicked her nose lightly. She swatted his hand away playfully. He loved how playful they were with each other.

"You give me too much credit." She turned around and scooped more cookie mix onto the pan.

"You don't get enough credit." Finn corrected as he rummaged the fridge for something to drink, missing Rachel's blinding smile in his direction. "Now are there any cookies ready?" He asked.

"The first batch will be done in two minutes. Tell your stomach to wait a moment." Rachel laughed and tickled his stomach on her way to the oven. It was moments like this when Finn wished more than anything she was his girlfriend. He would pick her up and kiss the life out of her, before whispering that he loved her. Over and over again in her ear.

But instead he just stared adoringly at her for a moment before popping open a coke and waiting for the cookies. He bounced on his feet as he watched her take out the hot, steamy cookies, his stomach growling hungrily at the sight and smell.

"She place a few on a napkin for him and passed them over. "Mmmh thank you." Finn groaned as he bit into the hot, chewy cookie, his mouth watering and his tongue tingling.

"Whoa whoa whoa, you trying to burn your mouth? They just came out of the oven!" Rachel laughed as Finn shoveled the cookies into his mouth.

"Cant help it. Too good." Finn grinned through his mouthful of cookie. She shook her head in amusement at him. He and Rachel sat at the little kitchen table and munched on her cookies as she waited for the next batch to finish.

"Coke and cookies. Very nutritious lunch Finn." Kurt scolded as he walked into the kitchen fifteen minutes later, his hair coiffed to perfection and his skin as flawless as usual. Rachel chuckled and got up to check on the cookies.

"I'm gonna eat something else. I just can't resist Rachel's baking. You know that." Finn said through his mouthful of cookie, and his stomach dropping as he watched Rachel bend over to place the pan strategically on the rack. Her perfect, heart shaped ass stretching her dark washed jeans and lifting her shirt slightly so he could see some of the tanned skin of her lower back.

Kurt snorted, unaware of where Finn was staring. Kurt moved to start another pot of coffee as he talked. "Obviously. You're drooling out of the side of your mouth." He observed, not knowing his drool was more for Rachel than her her cookies. Blaine smacked the back of his head to snap him out of his Rachel trance.

"Ooh are you making coffee?" Blaine asked happily. The four of them were complete coffee addicts. Blaine and Finn probably being the biggest. Rachel drank tea a lot of the time, but she adored coffee. The tea helped soothe her throat before singing so she tried to drink as much tea as she could. And Kurt loved coffee but was constantly trying to monitor his sugar intake.

"Yep. I even picked up that new salted caramel creamer at the market yesterday. Anyone know where Sebastian scurried off to? I saw him for a split second this morning and then he was off." Kurt smiled as he snatched a cookie off the rack.

"You know us to too well. And I have absolutely no idea where he is." Blaine grinned as he took out one of his favorite Harry Potter mugs with the Gryffindor emblem.

"He came by Blaine and I's this morning to steal some food before going to school. He said he couldn't make it to dinner tonight. He has school and then a date." Rachel answered happily as Kurt nodded his head in understanding.

"So what is everyone planning to do today on this sunny Saturday?" Rachel asked as a silence washed over the group, putting the last batch of cookie dough onto the bottom rack of the oven.

"I have my internship in half an hour. I'll be at your place by seven thirty at the latest." Kurt announced first.

"I don't know." Blaine shrugged, pouring himself a cup of the steamy liquid.

"Me neither. I'm not scheduled to work at the music store until tomorrow. What about you?" Finn asked her.

"Well, Andrew was going to take me to lunch, but he had an emergency meeting at the firm. I have a free day! We should go see that new scary movie." Rachel said excitedly.

"Without me?" Kurt pouted.

"You want to see Insidious 2?" Blaine laughed out loud at that.

"Yes! You known I like watching scary movies with you guys!" Kurt stomped his foot.

"You're just as bad as Rachel when it comes to scary movies. When we watched Sinister last week, you couldn't sleep without your bathroom light on." Finn laughed.

Kurt turned beet red. "That was supposed to stay between us." Kurt whispered angrily as Blaine roared with laughter and Rachel giggled.

"Its bad enough we have to bring Rachel along." Finn told him. Rachel smacked his arm.

"Hey, what's wrong with me?" She stopped laughing and pouted.

"You don't even watch the movie half the time. Your face is always buried in one of our shirts." Finn mocked her, even though he secretly _loved_ it when she'd bury her face into his hoodie. She jutted out her lower lip.

"But I don't mind." He assured her, giving her a one armed squeeze and taking a another cookie for the rack.

"Can we get back to the matter at hand please? Like why you three are gonna leave me out this?" Kurt said, ever the narcissist. Blaine rolled his eyes and poured his favorite salted caramel creamer into his mug.

Finn sighed. "Fine we'll do something else then, you little baby." Kurt ignored his last comment and poured his coffee into his to go cup.

"Good. I'll see you all at seven thirty sharp. Have a good day." Kurt kissed Rachel on both her cheeks and headed out the door without another word.

"So what are we going to do then?" Blaine asked.

"Go see the movie duh. We'll just go see it again with Kurt and pretend like we've never seen it. I'm not gonna let my self centered little brother ruin a good time for me." Finn shrugged. "I'm gonna go get changed okay?" Finn added, shoving yet another cookie into his mouth.

"Sweet see you at the theater in half an hour? I have I go get changed too." Blaine said, munching on a cookie of his own and pouring his coffee into his to go cup and placing the mug on the counter before brushing his hand off and heading to the door.

"Sounds good." Finn called from the living room as he made his way to his bedroom at the end of the hall.

"I'm going to stay here and watch tv. I don't need to change." Rachel announced as she sat down on the plush seat cushion. Blaine waved and shut the door behind him.

Finn pulled off his smelly T-shirt and dug into his dresser for a new shirt, quickly deciding on a black v neck and his favorite blue hoodie Rachel got him for his birthday last year. After slipping on his jeans and converse, he grabbed his cellphone, keys, and sprayed himself with some cologne before heading out to where Rachel was seated.

"Hey you." She smiled brightly at him. He had to keep from squeezing her tight in his arms at her happy voice. She always seemed to be able to brighten his mood tenfold. She had taken off the apron and was now wearing an adorable cream colored sweater.

"Hey." He grinned and plopped down next to her, staring at her. The skin of her neck looking especially delicious and soft today.

"Your hair is so messy." She chuckled, running her daintily fingers through the messy hair on his forehead, causing him to shiver. He felt like the room got foggy as he stared at her face. He reached out and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, relishing in the feel of her warm skin under his fingertips.

"Says the girl with the perfectly straight and tamed hair. It's easy for you." He smiled at her.

"I'll have you know I spend at least ten minutes getting my hair to look this perfect in the morning." She teased back.

"Well you always look stunning, so kudos to you." Finn replied gently.

"I love you." She said, making Finn feel both happy and sad at the same time. She meant a kind of love you had for a sibling, not a lover. He tried to mask his slight disappointment by grabbing her hand and lifting her off the couch amidst her giggles. He spun her around and carried her to the door, grabbing their coats and scarves on the way.

"Finn!" She screeched through her giggles as he shut and locked the door before putting her down.

"I love you too you know." Finn squeezed her hand. He really meant it.

"I do know." She smiled up at him and wrapped her hand around his arm, leading him down the stairs and out to a taxi. He was silent for the first couple of minutes as Rachel talked a bit about her rehearsals last night for NYADA's production of West Side Story and how exhausted she was after barely any sleep last night.

Finn's mood dropped drastically when Rachel received a call from Andrew on their way to the theater and he had to hear her constantly calling him 'baby' or 'sweetie', it made him feel sick. Especially when they exchanged 'I love you's' and Finn thought about how different her 'I love you' meant to her when directed at Andrew.

"What's wrong?" She asked after she got off the phone and noticed him all sulky and sad as he leaned against his window.

"Nothing." He replied simply.

"Finn c'mon. You can tell me." She prodded, tugging in his jacket. She was so damn persistent.

"Nothing. Okay?" He answered a little angrily, pulling his arm away from her. Her eyes widened and she nodded before looking away, hurt.

Fuck. It wasn't her fault she was in love with someone else was it? He immediately felt guilty for snapping at her for something that he'd heard many times before. Hearing it so many times just really put him in a shitty mood. And hearing her say it so lovingly, it was like a knife to the heart.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just feeling really stressed about school and work and stuff." Finn lied, hating when he made her sad.

"It's okay to feel stressed Finn. You can talk to me whenever you need okay? I am your best friend after all." He really hated it when she reminded him that they were just friends and nothing more. She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder, smuggling into his side as the cold rain whipped against the windows of their taxi cab. He sighed and wrapped his right arm around both her shoulders and squeezed her into him tightly.

It wasn't a rare occurrence that she snuggled into him, but he still cherished every moment with her like it was his last. She sniffled at the cold air as they pulled up to the movie theater and he wrapped his scarf around her, receiving a squeeze of her hand. Blaine waved at the pair as they came to the ticket booth.

"Three for Insidious please." Finn requested, taking out his wallet and paying for the three tickets. Rachel and Blaine both tried to protest as they waited in line for popcorn and drinks.

"Its my treat okay guys?" Finn insisted.

"Fine. But Blaine and I are paying for the food then." Rachel told him sternly.

"Deal." Finn tapped her nose lovingly. He tried to ignore the knowing smile coming from Blaine as Rachel ordered their popcorn and drinks.

"Oh and some sour patch kids for my friend here." Rachel added as she pat Finn's arm. He grinned. After nearly fifteen years of knowing each other, she still remembered his favorite movie theater candy.

Blaine slurped noisily on his coca cola icee as the trio waited for their tickets to be ripped. "I'm so excited to see this movie!" Rachel squealed enthusiastically.

"What are you talking about? The only things you're going to be looking at is the stitching of my hoodie and jacket." Finn asked cheekily.

"Shut up Finn." Rachel huffed as Blaine snorted in amusement. They took their seats in the middle of the theater just as the lights began to dim a little, signaling the start of the previews. Rachel sat in the middle of the two boys while Finn took the seat closest to the aisle, next to some old man.

"Are older people even allowed to see scary movies? Like, what if they have a heart attack or something?" Finn whispered in Rachel's ear. She laughed loudly and tried to stifle her giggles as a young couple in front of them shot her an annoyed glare.

"Finn. Just because he's older doesn't mean he'd get a heart attack from a scary movie. I'm sure he knows his limits. Your naiveitivity is absolutely adorable." Rachel smiled as her silent laughter finally died down.

"My naiveitivity huh?" Finn asked, tickling her sides playfully. She laughed and held her hand over her mouth try to stay quiet.

"Hey man, is your girlfriend going to be this loud during the entire movie? Cause if she is, please tell me now so my wife and I can change seats." The guy in front of then asked testily. He had a really stupid Mohawk perched on his head. It looked like a freakin squirrel.

"It's just the previews dude. Turn back around and mind your own business." Finn shot back quietly as he stopped tickling Rachel. She blushed red at the guys comment and Finn glared at him.

"Well maybe..." The guy started angrily before his wife put a hand on his arm to stop him.

"Noah, honey. It doesn't matter. Just calm down and let's enjoy the movie." She told him bossily. He obliged and wrapped his arm back around the blonde after sending Finn an angry look.

"Sorry." Finn mouthed to Rachel. Her lips lifted into a pretty smile and she shook her head as though telling Finn he didn't do anything wrong.

"We should totally go see Catching Fire again." Blaine whispered. He obviously hadn't paid any attention to the other two as his eyes were still fixated on the screen.

"Hell no. We've seen it four times. And you've seen it seven times." Finn responded quickly. Blaine was a man of many obsessions. Harry Potter and the Hunger Games was just two of them. Fanfiction had become a recent obsession of his too. Particularly Star Wars fanfiction. Blaine silently pouted.

"Just buy the DVD when it comes out." Rachel whispered to him as the opening credits for the movie rolled around and it started with the Josh character as a kid having trouble with the old lady with lipstick who killed Elise at the end of the first one. Rachel already started getting that eerie feeling in her stomach that only comes from watching a horror movie.

Finn chuckled as he watched her eyes dance across the screen nervously. He grabbed her hand and squeezed her thin, little fingers, marveling at how perfect they fit into the spaces between his massive ones. She smiled gratefully and layed her head on him once again, obviously decided he would be her snuggle buddy for this movie.

He sighed and turned back to the movie, his heart beating fast and a pleasant warmth spreading throughout his body thanks to the tiny little brunette next to him. Finn rested his head on the top of hers, inhaling her sweet shampoo. He was in so deep.

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"Meh. It was alright." Finn commented as he, Rachel, and Blaine waited in the subway station.

"Alright? It scared the heck out of me!" Rachel screeched incredulously. Finn laughed.

"Seriously? There hasn't been a horror movie since the Grudge that has had the ability to scare me shitless." Finn replied dryly, looking around at the nearly deserted station. "Why is it so deserted right now? Its only like, four o'clock." Finn observed as he checked his watch, his eyes glancing over at Rachel mysteriously, fighting the urge to smile at her worried look.

"Maybe something's wrong and we don't know about it. Like an apocalypse. Maybe everyone's already started evacuating the city and we don't know." Blaine smiled mischievously and tickled Rachel's sides from behind, making her scream and jump a little.

"Blaine Anderson!" She hit him hard on the arm while Finn stood there laughing.

"Sorry Rachel. It's just too easy." Blaine chuckled as the subway pulled up to the platform. She huffed and followed Blaine, Finn trailing behind. She yawned as they sat down.

"You should take a little nap." Finn told her. She shook her head.

"I won't be able to stand back up." She yawned again.

"Twenty minutes is enough time for quick nap. I promise I'll wake you up before we get there. You look really beat." Finn told her, allowing her to lay her head on him.

"Why didn't we just go to the theater in our village? It's like ten minutes away from me and Rachel's loft." Blaine asked as he played Temple Run on his iPhone 5.

"Because Ms. Bossy Pants didn't want to go to the dirty theater." Finn mocked Rachel who had her eyes closed in content. She opened one and peaked at him to answer.

"The bathrooms smell horrible. And sometimes the smell sweeps into the theater rooms." Rachel replied sleepily.

"Yeah that's true. I really don't want to smell shit as I'm watching a movie." Blaine laughed then swore as his laugh caused his character to jump off a bridge.

Only Rachel's light snores could be heard throughout the quiet subway car. Blaine moved on to play Tiny Tower before putting his phone into his messenger bag. He glanced at Finn who was laying with his chin on the top of Rachel's head with his eyes closed.

"You okay?" Blaine asked. He'd been asking that a lot lately. Finn always had a pensive and sad look in his eyes, something Blaine could chalk up to Rachel and Andrew. They'd just recently become exclusive, before they were just casual.

"Yeah." Finn smiled. Blaine saw right through his forced smile.

"Finn c'mon." He whispered. Finn sighed.

"Really Blaine. Its not like I can do anything about it anyways." Finn gestured to Rachel's sleeping form. She was starting to drool a little on his jacket, and rather than be disgusted, Finn closed his eyes as he sighed, feeling so much love for her it was actually causing him pain.

"If you would just tell her.." Blaine tried.

"Blaine, I said no. I'm not gonna cause problems. Please just drop it Finn pleaded quietly.

"So you're just gonna live in emotional pain? Sounds fun." Blaine said sarcastically.

"Look, I'll get over this little crush eventually and then both us can be happy with our respective partners." Finn snapped.

"And thats what you really want?' Blaine asked as Rachel snored again.

"Of course not, I love her. But this is reality. I have to move on eventually. She obviously doesn't reciprocate my love, so why torture myself? Why spend everyday fantasizing about being with her, when I know she's in a happy relationship? Its stupid, and it really hurts." Finn told him angrily, feeling like an idiot as he felt hot tears reach his eyes.

"Okay. I'm sorry Finn. I really don't mean to pry. I just really want you to be happy and I think she would make you happy." Blaine was shocked at the tears in his friends eyes. Blaine dropped his head and looked out at the flashes of the tunnel walls that would pass them every minute or so. Finn stayed silent and laid his cheek on her head, trying to shut out the rest of the world. It felt like only seconds after he closed his eyes that he was being shaken awake by Blaine.

"C'mon man. This is me and Rachel's stop coming up." Blaine smiled sympathetically. Finn nodded wordlessly and began to gently wake Rachel up.

"Rach, your stop is coming up. I know you don't wanna get up, but you gotta get ready for dinner tonight." Finn wiped some drool from her chin as he held her face in his hands like she was made of the finest of glass. God, he wasn't obvious at all was he? She mumbled incoherently and sat up rubbing her eyes. She looked groggy at best, but she was awake.

"Mmm hey you." She grinned sleepily at him to which he sent a lopsided smile in return. She gathered her bag and ran a hand through her hair once, Finn watching her longingly. "Guess I'll see you in a few hours." She grinned happily as she and Blaine stood up, preparing to make their way off the subway. Finn smiled back and waved at the pair. Rachel hooked her arm around Blaine's as the doors opened and Finn watched them leave, his eyes staying on them until they were completely out of sight and the subway had started to move.

Finn sighed begrudgingly and buried his nose in his training manual. He was determined to pass that stupid written test. He was not going to fail again. Some giggling girls got on the subway and blushed at him when he looked up to see the source of the noise. Finn managed a half smile back and the two girls giggled even harder. They looked around nineteen or twenty, very hot. Nowhere near Rachel's level in his opinion, but just because he was hopelessly in love with Rachel, that didn't mean he didn't notice other women. He got off at his stop and smiled at the two women again bowing his head as he stepped onto the platform.

Great. It had started pouring since he had been in the subway. He groaned in frustration and pulled his hoodie over his messy hair, shielding himself from the cold drops of rain coming down furiously. Thankfully, his and Kurt's apartment was only two blocks form the nearest subway entrance. Other New Yorkers were moving faster than usual thanks to the rain, so he had an easy time getting to his building. He also might have moved a little faster because stepped on some poor old woman's foot and gotten beat relentlessly with her purse. She had like rocks in there or something.

He shook his head like a dog and shoved the key in the lock, twisting it until it clicked and he pushed the door open, dropping his keys in the bowl on the table next to the door. He moved to sit on the couch and untie his converse. He tossed the shoes next to the coffee table and stood up, thinking about playing the xbox or something. Maybe he could challenge Blaine to a match in Injustice; his and Blaine's favorite superhero game.

Finn insisted Batman and Superman were the best DC superheroes. While Blalne advocated for the Flash and Nightwing, stating that they didn't get enough credit and were fucking awesome. They'd had several heated debates on the subject.

"_Oh god... Will. Don't stop. Don't s-stop!_" Finn stopped dead in his tracks at the noise, his eyes widening at the familiar sound of his brothers voice. And he was moaning. Moaning sexually. With another man who was making deep throaty groans as Kurt moaned loudly from his bedroom.

Finn back up, horrified at the thought of his brother having sex. What he didn't notice, was his collapsable scooter laying next to the armchair and before he knew it, he had stumbled over it and landed harshly on his ass, practically making the ground shake because of the force with which he hit the floor. Finn let out a strangled cry and he was sure his left butt cheek had a huge bruise on it now. He stood up slowly, rubbing his butt uncomfortably.

Kurt came tearing through the hall, looking disheveled and concerned, his sex partner right behind him with a metal bat in hand. Kurt stopped at the sight of Finn and sighed in relief. "Thank god. We thought you were some sort of burglar or something. What the hell are you doing out here?" Kurt asked.

"I slipped on the scooter." Finn clarified nervously, rubbing the back of his neck out of habit.

"I told Blaine getting that scooter for your birthday would only cause you trouble. And look what happened, you trip on it three months later. I certainly hope you haven't sprained your ankle or anything. I'm not in the mood to go to the hospital today." Kurt screeched shrilly.

"Dude relax. It wasn't the scooters fault. I just lost my footing." Finn replied shaking his head at his brothers antics.

"Oh good." Kurt sighed thankfully and ran a hand through his hair. After a couple moments of uncomfortable silence, Kurt'a sex buddy cleared his throat. "Oh! I'm so sorry, where are my manners? Finn this is Will. Will, this is my brother Finn." Kurt introduced the two men.

Finn totally didn't want to shake Will's outstretched hand, having no idea where it had been mere minutes ago. "Nice to meet you man." Finn managed a smile. Will grinned back and returned the sentiment. The dude seemed really nice. He had short, dirty blonde hair that was spiked at the front. He looked slightly taller and buffer than Kurt and slightly tanner as well. He was also clad only in his red boxers.

Will also seemed to notice the state of his undress, as he blushed. "I'm gonna go get dressed into something a little less awkward." He said before quickly high tailing it back to Kurt's bedroom. Kurt watched him go with a smile on his face.

"So is Will coming to dinner tonight?" Finn asked, changing the subject.

"Oh no. Not yet anyways. I'm not taking him to meet the Anderberry twins until I'm ready. Those two are a handful. It's bad enough he's already met you. Try not to say anything too stupid. I don't want you to scare him away." Kurt said snarkily.

"Shut up." Finn smacked the back of his head, still trying to rid of the awkward feeling of catching his brother mid-sex. Kurt narrowed his eyes at Finn before sticking his nose in the air and making his way to the kitchen.

"So I thought you had your internship until seven?" Finn asked, following him through the archway.

"Isabelle had to go tend to her sick son. He has the flu. She sent me home with some design ideas and I'm supposed to work off those." Kurt said, unscewwing the cap on his SoBe water and taking a generous swig.

"And your fuck buddy? What, came home with you to help?" Finn asked with a smirk.

Kurt blushed a deep red and answered with his voice shaking slightly from embarrassment, "You h-heard us?" Kurt choked out, clearly humiliated.

"Uh yeah. Why do you think I fell over?" Finn laughed at his brothers flaming cheeks and laughed even harder when Kurt buried his face in his hands.

"Oh god. Please don't tell Rachel and Blaine. I know we all have sex, blah blah blah. But that doesn't mean I want my sex life on full display." Kurt pointed his finger at Finn, trying to cover up his supreme embarrassment by being his usual bossy self.

Finn chuckled in response, "As long as I never have to hear that again. I wanted to literally rip my ears off and throw them in the Hudson River." Finn stopped laughing and shuddered at the memory before making a mental note to tell Blaine later. It had been about two years but Blaine's wounds were still fresh. He'd been the one to fight for their relationship until the very end.

"Shut up." Kurt hissed as Will came back into the room, now wearing a pair of dark wash jeans and a dark green T-shirt. Kurts face was still beet red and Will took note of it immediately.

"You okay babe? You look really red." Will offered, rubbing his shoulders. Finn looked away and headed to the fridge.

"Yeah of course. Of course, I'm fine." Kurt stuttered out, smiling at Will and kissing his cheek in assurance.

"Good. I'm gonna cook you something then. Something light of course. You told me you were going to your friends house for dinner tonight right?" Will asked as he took out a frying pan and searched around the cupboards and drawers for a spatula.

Finn silently opened the drawer next to the fridge and passed him the spatula, earning a happy smile in repsonse. "Yes. Rachel is making her tofu stir fry. Which I must say is exquisite. You'll have to try it at some point. I know you'd love it." Kurt chirped, happy to have a change of subject.

"This is that Rachel Berry you're always raving about right? The phenomenal singer?" Will asked.

"The very same. She's great, you'll have to have her sing for you too. It'll knock your socks off. Just don't tell her I said that. I wouldn't want to inflate her already oversized ego. She knows she's good and she's knows I love her and her talent. That's all she needs to know." Kurt told Will as he sat down at the table and watched his boyfriend cook.

"How long have you two been together?" Finn asked, curious about how long their sneaking around has gone on.

"About two months or so right Kurt? I mean, it moved sort of slow during the first month. We only saw each other like five or six times. Then I called Kurt and asked him if he wanted to go to this super romantic italian restaurant in Long Island." Will smiled at Kurt fondly.

"Yes it's been about two months. And the restaurant was _perfect_ Finn. I really suggest you take a girl there sometime. It's a waterfront restaurant so at night, you can see the stars and lights from the city shining off the gentle waves, and there are candles lit around the entire restaurant. It was very classy and _so_ romantic." Kurt stared at the opposite wall with a happy glaze in his eyes.

"Noted." Finn smiled. If Kurt was happy, then he was all for him going our with this Will guy.

Kurt seemed lost in his fantasies so Finn broke the silence, "So whatcha making Will?" Finn asked, coming to stand behind Will and peek over his shoulder.

"Well, it's a simple chicken quesadilla, but my favorite thing to do is to dip them in a thousand island dressing." Will smiled as he flipped Kurt's quesadilla in the pan expertly.

"Sounds good." Finn said, his stomach growling at the smell of chicken.

Will chuckled, "You want one?" He asked politely.

"Uh, if it's not too much trouble?" Finn answered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's not problem at all. I'll make yours right after Kurt's okay?" Will smiled at Finn.

"Awesome thanks." Finn pat Will on the back and sent a thumbs up Kurt's way. He liked this guy. He was sweet to Kurt and seemed to like Finn.

"Call me if you want my help. Imma go play Injustice." Finn grabbed a coke out the fridge and headed towards the living room.

"I'll have to challenge you sometime! But I'm always Superman. Or Green Lantern." Will shouted to Finn.

Finn turned around, "You play Injustice?" Finn asked.

"Yep. My Xbox Live username is Gay-3PO, send me a friend request. I'll kick your butt." Will smiled cheekily and went back to his quesadilla making.

"Oh you're so on. Remember the name Mr_Superman. Cause that name will be your downfall." Finn joked lightly. Will laughed and Finn plopped down on the couch. Prepared to throughly kick Blaine's ass in preparation to kick Will's ass next. He sent a friend request to Gay-3PO and sent a message to Blaine to get his butt on Injustice.

He only stopped his relentless beating of Blaine's Flash character to eat the absolutely delicious chicken quesadilla Will made. "Oh fuck that's good." Finn groaned into the tortilla after he dipped it in the thousand island dressing. Will smiled proudly at the happy look on Finn's face. "Wow thanks for this. Its so good, I never would have thought of doing this." Finn complemented.

"No problem. I'm glad you like it." Will rubbed his hands together jubilantly and headed back to Kurt in the kitchen. Finn completely destroyed the quesadilla in a matter of minutes and wiped his hand on his pant legs, immersing himself in his game again.

Kurt and Will went into Kurt's room minutes later and didn't come back out until seven o'clock. "Bye Finn." Will smiled and waved at Finn as he slid his coat on his arms.

"Oh, bye Will. Thanks for the food, can't wait to kick your ass." Finn joked as he waved back at Will. Will laughed and loses Kurt on the lips.

"See you later babe." Will cooed before shutting the door behind him. Kurt stood there grinning like a idiot for a few moments before sitting down next to Finn and crossing his arms in front of his chest and staring at the tv screen.

"So you really like him?" Kurt asked hopefully. "Cause your opinion really does mean a lot to me Finn." He added.

"Yeah. I think he's really awesome. And really good for you. He's super nice and obviously cares about you. That's good enough for me." Finn ruffled Kurt's hair while still staring at the screen.

"Well I should go get ready. We have to be at Rachel and Blaine'a by seven thirty. That's what I told them. You should get ready too. We're leaving in fifteen minutes." Kurt said, his voice getting quieter and quieter as he disappeared down the hall.

Finn groaned as Blaine won the last round, giving him the lead. He tossed the controller onto the cushion next to him after he signed out. Looking down at his clothes he decides that his jeans were fine and he just needed to change his T-shirt, having gotten thousand island on it earlier. He pulled his shirt off on his way down the hall, tossing it into his hamper as he entered the room.

Stiffing his white T-shirt and crinkling his nose at the sweaty smell, he tossed it behind him into a pile of discarded clothes. "Ooh you should wear this sweater!" Kurt voice startled Finn and he turned around quickly to see his brother flipping through the clothes in his closet.

"Um, excuse you." Finn said as Kurt threw Finn his grey crew neck sweater.

"And you can even wear those nasty converse you seem so fond of. You'll look more sophisticated in that sweater. Now hurry up." Kurt said, adjusting his own blue V-neck and red and grey checked shirt underneath before sending a disgusted look at Finn's messy room and walking out the door.

Finn rolled his eyes and pulled on a clean T-shirt before slipping on the grey sweater and stepping into his shoes. Kurt called for him a few minutes later and he pulled on his jacket and grabbed his phone, walking slowly over to Kurt who was impatiently waiting by the door. "Honestly Finn, it's already fifteen after. We're going to be late now." Kurt huffed and pushed Finn out the door.

"By like five minutes Kurt. Pull that stick out of your ass please." Finn grumbled while Kurt glared. Kurt hailed a taxi and they drove in silence until they pulled up to Blaine and Rachel's place.

They made their way to the door and knocked, the door swinging open seconds later to Rachel's grinning face. "Hi!" She greeted cheerfully, kissing both of Kurt's cheeks before doing the same to Finn as the two men replied with a 'hi' as well. He smiled happily and gripped her glistening, tan shoulders tighter than necessary. Not that she noticed of course, given she pulled away and rubbed his shoulder before turning away.

"Mmm it smells divine in here Rachel." Kurt commented as Blaine finished setting the table and took Kurt's coat and hung it on the rack.

"Thank you." She grinned and practically floated back to the kitchen. She was wearing a knee length red dress and black heels, her hair pulled up into tight little bun with her bangs straightened and angle over her gorgeous face.

"_Sorry_." Blaine mouthed as he took Finn's coat and hung it on the rack next to Kurt's. Finn looked confused for a moment before his question was answered in the form of a booming chuckle coming from the kitchen. Great. Fucking Andrew was here. That was one way to turn his night to complete crap.

Blaine obviously saw how deflated Finn was because he added, "He literally showed up twenty minutes ago. He apologized for missing lunch and asked to stay for dinner. I could hardly object without Rachel getting suspicious. I'm sorry." Blaine told him, pulling at his black bow tie and smoothing out his red button up shirt underneath his own, thicker grey sweater.

"It's okay man. There wasn't much you could do." Finn said in monotone voice.

"You two going to stand by the door all day? Or are we going to eat?" Kurt laughed as he, Rachel, and Andrew looked over at Finn and Blaine still by the door. Andrew was dressed in a black suit and red tie, his black hair brushed neatly to the side. What a douche.

Finn looked down at his own clothes and felt severely underdressed. No wonder Rachel was in love with Andrew. He dressed like he was freakin high society all the time while Finn dressed like he just came back from milking the cows.

"Yeah. We're coming." Blaine answered, pulling a reluctant Finn discreetly by the arm and over to the table. Finn plopped down in between Blaine and Rachel, feeling extremely moody now. He didn't really want to spend his dinner getting indigestion from Rachel and Andrews couply cuteness. He'd rather dive into a pit of killer sharks.

"So Andrew, how were things at the firm today? Rachel said you had an emergency meeting during lunch today." Kurt started conversation as Rachel served them all a generous amount of her tofu stir fry.

"Yeah, there's this one client we have that we're almost positive is guilty. But some witness brought in some information today that could help him. It was pretty big. But that's all I can say. Client confidentiality and all." Andrew grinned as he stabbed some food with his fork and stuffed it in his mouth. Rachel stared at him in awe and gripped his fingers in hers smiling at him.

"Sounds mysterious." Kurt said as he and Andrew shared a laugh.

"It really is." Andrew responded knowingly. Unfortunately for Finn, Kurt liked Andrew and thought he was extremely mature and sexy. Andrew was twenty eight and Kurt and Rachel seemed to think he was simply full of wisdom and experience. Finn and Blaine both knew that was a load of crap. He probably made up most of his shit stories anyways.

Andrew continued to talk about himself during dinner, Blaine and Finn exchanging bored looks every once in a while. Twenty minutes into the meal, Finn was about ready to shove his head into the oven, just to avoid hearing anymore stories about Andrew.

"So didn't you made dessert Rachel?" Blaine asked. He didn't want to talk about Andrew anymore than Finn did. They were boring as hell.

"Yes I did. Despite me and Kurt's rigorous diet plan, I baked a loaf of lemon cake. Delicious, but not detrimental to our diet." Rachel smiled proudly.

"I don't understand why you need to diet anyways. You look perfect." Finn mumbled, immediately wanting to smack himself as it got eerily silent in the room and he felt the searing gaze of Andrew's eyes drilling into the left side of his face.

"Thank you Finn." Rachel said sweetly, reaching over to squeeze his hand for a moment. Finn shrugged, trying to rid himself of the embarrassing feeling of letting that slip. She sent him another one of her blinding smiles and Finn felt his heart dip.

"Alright well I'm pretty tired. What do you say we turn in early tonight Rach?" Andrew asked quickly, glaring at Finn for good measure. Finn had a strange feeling that Andrew knew of his feelings for Rachel. To some degree anyways.

Rachel looked confused. "Don't you want dessert?" She asked.

"Maybe later or something. I'm in the mood for something else." Andrew answered seductively, looking pointedly at Finn for a moment. Finn hung his head and tried to fight the need to throw up his dinner all over the table. Andrew wanted to go fuck Rachel in her bedroom. Thats what he obviously meant. He knew it would eat Finn alive to even think about it.

"Oh um. Okay." Rachel blushed at his forwardness and looked around awkwardly at the other people at the table. Kurt shrugged and Blaine looked at Finn who was looking like a wounded puppy.

"Goodnight all." Andrew said suddenly, grabbing Rachel's hand and nearly pulling her across the table.

"Okay I'll be there in a minute. Wait for me." She said simply. He dropped her hand and followed her request, walking down the hall grudgingly.

"I'm sorry about that. I don't know whats up with him today." Rachel said, clearly embarrassed about his lack of modesty regarding their sex life. "Goodnight guys." She added kissing Kurt on the cheek again.

"Try to keep it down okay?" Kurt requested cheekily, making Finn's stomach churn uncomfortably. She blushed in response.

"Night Rachel." Blaine hugged her tightly.

"Goodnight." Finn smiled up at her. She bent down and squeezed him tight. Tighter than she'd squeezed Kurt or Blaine and whispered a thank you in his ear, making his skin tingle. She ran her hand down his left cheek before going down the hall and shutting her door. Finn sighed and stared at the door she'd just left through.

Kurt stood up and started clearing the table, Blaine joining in moments later and elbowing Finn, who shook his head to clear his thoughts and stood up as well, putting the placemats into the kitchen drawer. He felt like a zombie walking around Blaine and Rachel's apartment. All he could think about was what Rachel and Andrew were doing in her room. Were they actually having sex? He knew Rachel wasn't a virgin, but he had never thought about her sleeping with Andrew until now.

Kurt had chosen Casablanca while Blaine cleaned up and Finn assisted. "You two coming?" Kurt called from his spot on the living room couch. Friday nights also happened to be movie nights. _Something Rachel obviously won't be participating in tonight. _Finn thought bitterly to himself as he and Blaine started on the last of the dishes.

"Yeah! We just gotta finish the dishes. Go ahead and start the movie without us!" Blaine called back before resuming his steady washing of the plates. Finn dried the ones on the counter and put them away.

"Hey Blaine?" Finn asked quietly.

"Yeah?' He responded just as quietly.

"I need to tell you something about Kurt." Finn said simply. His own heart troubles had prevented him from even remembering that he was going to tell Blaine about Kurt and his new boyfriend.

"What? Is he okay?" Blaine asked concerned.

"No he's fine. It's just, well, Kurt's got a new boyfriend and I thought it might be beneficial to you to know now. Like, before he brings him around to meet you and Rachel." Finn managed to spit out nervously.

"Oh." Blaine's voice was suddenly quiet and cautious. "What's uh, w-what's his name?" Blaine asked.

"His name is Will. He's kinda the opposite of you actually. He's like, tall, with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. And uh, he's actually pretty nice. I don't want you to think for a minute that Ithink he's better for Kurt. Cause I still feel like you two are better together. I just want you to know that he's with someone who treats him right ya know?." Finn said softly, trying to be kind with Blaine's feelings.

"That's good. I'm really happy for him." Blaine fake smiled.

"Does it still hurt? To think of Kurt with other men?" Finn asked.

"Yeah it does. I mean, it's been two years, but I guess I was sort of hoping Kurt would realize we should be together. Maybe I should just start trying to accept that it may never happen." Blaine scratched his head and wiped his hands on the towel.

"Guess you and I are kinda in the same boat huh?" Finn wrapped his right arm around Blaine's shoulder.

"Yeah guess we are." Blaine wrapped his left arm around Finn's back as the two stared out the window at the twinkling lights of the city. "Love is weird." Blaine mumbled.

"More like unfair." Finn tried to lighten the mood by flicking water at Blaine's face, making him sputter. Blaine dipped his hand in the soapy water and flicked it right back at him. Finn responded by dipping his own hand in the water and ruffling Blaine's hair with his soaked hand, letting some of Blaine's dark curls come out from their gelled state.

Their laughter was cut short by Kurt's voice. "What are you two doing in there, it's supposed to be a group movie night right? So why am I the only one in here?" Kurt complained from his spot in the living room.

"We'll be out the there in a minute geez Kurt." Finn yelled back as he dried his semi wet hands on his jeans and hung the towel up in its spot on the oven handle before leading Blaine out to the living room where an impatient looking Kurt sat.

"What the hell took you guys so long?" Kurt asked testily as Blaine completely avoided his eyes and sat down on the armchair perpendicular to the couch. Finn, sitting next to his brother on the plush sofa.

"We had to clean up and do the dishes. Something I don't recall you ever offering to help with." Finn sniped, his sour mood returning like the flip of a switch.

"Are you- are you serious? Do you have any idea how much hand moisturizer goes into these petal soft hands? They're softer than kittens. I would never disgrace my hands in that way by _washing the dishes_. Dirty water and food mixed in with soap? I think not." Kurt answered astonished that Finn would even insinuate Kurt had to help washing the dishes. "Besides, I helped clear the table." Kurt added.

"Whatever." Finn mumbled, his brothers lack of sympathy for anyone else grating on his last nerve.

"No it's not whatever, Finn. Moisturizing is a very serious thing. If you don't do it, you peel, flake, and look like a lizard. It's absolutely disgus-" Kurt chastised.

"Oh that's cool. Let's just watch the movie okay?" Finn snapped. Kurt opened his mouth like a fish out of water before shutting it promptly and facing the tv, unsure of why Finn was so cranky.

Finn crossed his arms over his chest and faced the tv too, trying not to let the frown completely overtake his face. As much as he tried not to think about it, his mind wandered to what Rachel and fucking Andrew were doing in her room. He was probably ravishing her and making sweet love to her. Something Finn should be doing right now.

Sure, Andrew probably loved her too, but not as much as Finn did. If Finn had the chance to love her, he'd treat like the goddess he knows she is. He would love and take care of her like nobody had ever loved her before.

It was just too bad he would never get the chance to show her how much he loved her. He was doomed to be forever, irrevocably, and desperately in love with Rachel Berry.

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**Oh and the title of this song is based off of Maroon 5's "She Will Be Loved" ^_^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 is here! Yay! I'm having lots of fun writing this story. Twenty reviews?! That is so freakin incredible. You guys are the best! Oddly enough, angst is one of my favorite things to write. :) If anyone has any suggestions or things they'd like to see in this story, write it in the reviews section or PM me! Remember: Reviews are love ^_^**

**We Love Cory Monteith!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its character. If I did, I'd be a freakin billionaire. **

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Finn sat at a small desk in a classroom somewhere buried inside New York's enormous fire department. He was just finishing the last question on his written exam. And exam he'd failed before already. This test meant everything to him. It was the difference between truly being a Lima loser, or showing everyone that he was more than that. He dropped his pencil don on the desk and looked over his work, wiping his sweaty hands on his pant legs.

It had been days since their little get together dinner and Finn had since then studied like a maniac for his test, shutting himself inside his room and only coming out for meals.

When he felt like he'd looked over the test long enough, he stood up and walked over to the front desk, where he carefully slid the paper in front of the fire chief. The older man looked up and smiled fondly at Finn, having seen him here on several occasions.

"I'll just grade your test here. You can go use the restroom or get a drink while you wait. This wasn't take more than ten minutes at the most." He told him quietly, well aware of the few other students still taking their test.

Finn blew through his lips and walked into the hall to get a sip of water to soothe his scratchy throat. He ran a hand through his hair nervously and tried not to pick apart every question on the test as he waited. It was extremely nerve racking, to know his entire career as a fireman would be based upon that one single test.

After a few minutes of pacing nervously through the hall, he decided to go back into the classroom and see if he was finished. When he got to the desk the chiefs fave showed no emotion as he patiently waited for Finn. After a moment of silence, the chiefs face broke out into an enormous smile.

"Congratulations Mr. Hudson. You passed with a score of 89." The fire chief shook Finn's hand. Finn was speechless. He felt like screaming at the top of his lungs. He shakily returned the handshake before thanking the chief profusely and practically running out the door amidst the chiefs chuckles.

"YES!" Finn shouted as he pumped his fist in the air, earning glares and startled looked from passing New Yorkers. He freakin passed. Finn Hudson was officially a fireman. He felt overjoyed for the first time since he got to New York. He was finally going to make something for himself. He knew all those shitty nights of reading his manual would pay off.

He practically skipped all the way his and Kurt's loft where he knew Rachel and Kurt were having beauty day. He could wait to tell them the good news. Blaine was working at the diner and Sebastian probably had school again. The man was a freakin workaholic. Even the thought of Andrew being there couldn't put a damper on Finn's amazing mood.

Though he really hoped he wasn't. He didn't need to be reminded of his unreciprocated love for Rachel on the same day his career started to take off. It would just being a downer. His hands were shaking from his sheer happiness as he put the keys in the lock and turned it. Rachel and Kurt were lounging on the couch sipping iced tea with creepy looking green masks on their faces.

Both of their heads turned at the sound of the door opening and Finn immediately made his face emotionless. Standing there completely still. "Well?! What happened?! Did you pass?!" Kurt practically screeched curiously. Finn remained quiet for a minute before grinning like an idiot.

"I passed! Scored an 89!" Finn yelled happily. Kurt cheered and clapped his hands excitedly. His happiness for his big brother oozing out of every pore in his body. Rachel squealed happily and dropped her iced tea on the table, running over to Finn with her arms held out.

Finn realized what she was doing and chuckled as she lept into his arms and buried her face in his neck. He spun her around on the spot and didn't even care that he probably had that nasty green goop all over his neck. All he cared about was the adorable little brunette who had now wrapped her arms around his neck and mumbled congratulations in his neck several times over. He closed his eyes and felt goosebumps arise all over his skin. He was surprised she couldn't feel his heart beat a thousand miles a minute.

She lifted her head and looked at him, her eyes shining, "I'm so proud of you Finn. This is amazing. You're going to be a firefighter." She cried out placing kisses all over his face. He felt himself turn beet red and tried to ignore the arousal that appeared at the touch of her warm, soft lips. He never wanted her to stop. He felt _so_ fucking happy right now. She stopped her kisses to smile lovingly at him. He smiled back and rubbed his hand up and down her lower back, suddenly feeling the room get foggy. He'd just passed his test and yet all he could think about was Rachel's legs wrapped around his waist. Her long, jean clad thighs hooked onto his hips, her hot, minty breath fanned out over his face.

Only Kurt's throat clearing knocked them out of their reverie. "I think I deserve a big hug from brother as well." Kurt smiled, either not noticing or not commenting on Finn's red face. Rachel grinned up at him and slid down his body, making him wince slightly as her center rubbed against his growing erection. Her body just did things to him, he couldn't help it.

Keeping his distance from Kurt slightly as to not embarrass himself, he hugged his brother tightly. "We're so proud of you Finn. You're going to show every one of those assholes in high school that they were wrong about you. I know it." Kurt pulled away and wiped his eyes. Finn beamed with pride at their complements, feeling like he could take on the world.

"Ugh. You've got me all emotional now Finn." Kurt wiped his eyes again, smearing some of his green face mask. Finn pat his brothers back, never feeling more grateful for his friends and family in his entire life. "We need to celebrate later. Make sure you tell Sebastian and Blaine yourself. You know they'll be upset if bigmouth tells them first." Kurt jerked his thumb towards Rachel. She scowled in his direction.

"Oh you know I love you Diva. Now, I must go get ready for my date. I'm so proud of you Finn, truly." Kurt said once more, giving Finn another quick hug and kissing the top of Rachel's head before walking down the hall. Finn glanced over at Rachel again, seeing that she was still grinning at him.

"What about you Rach? You have plans for today?" Finn gulped slightly before asking his next question, "Andrew taking you out tonight? You gonna invite him to our celebratory dinner?" He asked.

She picked at the hem of her shirt nervously. "Um no. He has a case to work today and I think our dinner should only be for the five of us. Kurt, Blaine, Sebastian, you, and I. You know, the people closest to you." She smiled up at him through her lashes shyly. It was weird. Today it felt like she was being more affectionate. It was almost like maybe she felt something more for him too.

But he quickly squashed that thought. His mind was just playing tricks on him. She loved him like a brother and that was that. "That sounds perfect. I just want to share this glorious day with the people I love the most." Finn's hand moved of its own accord and he swept her bangs from her face. His stomach simply curling with love.

She stared up at him and smiled sweetly. It was quiet for a minute and Finn thought he was going to explode. "So what do you want to do today?" Finn cleared his throat.

"I could take you out for lunch?" She suggested. "Or we could go to Starbucks and then I can take you to a broadway show or something?" She grinned.

"Anything you want." Finn smiled down at her. And he really would. He'd suffer through a boring day at the museum or five hundred Broadway shows just to be with her. Any chance to spend the day with her.

Now that he thought about it, he was pretty pathetic. Jumping at the chance to spent any time with the girl he was secretly in love with. Sometimes he just wished he could hang out with her without feeling like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. Maybe he needed to go out a few dates. He obviously wasn't going to get any chance with her. Why torture himself?

"We'll just head out into the city and see what happens I guess." She told him excitedly. "Now go get dressed mister. It's getting chilly outside and you need to be wearing a coat." She instructed bossily.

He nodded and ruffled her bangs playfully, before heading to his room to find a coat. He shut his door and dialed Blaine's number immediately. He picked up on the third ring. _"Finn? What's up?"_ Blaine asked confused.

"Can you come out hang out with Rachel and I today?" Finn asked quickly.

_"What? And be the third wheel to the secret love of Finchel? No thanks." _Blaineresponded, chuckling lightly.

"Please Blaine. I don't know what's going on with me lately, but if you put me in a room alone with Rachel, there's going to be nothing to stop me from confessing my insane love for her. Please Blaine. I have zero willpower against her." Finn pleaded. And it was true. Ever since he'd found out Rachel and Andrew had become exclusive, he'd felt like he'd become extra clingy. He felt like his love had increased tenfold. And he hated it. It was fucking torture.

_"Finn I'm really sorry but I just can't get off work today. Phil really needs me today. Lunch is swamped right now. I'm actually surprised he hasn't called Rachel and asked her to come in on her day off." _Blaine replied sympathetically. Finn sighed.

_"Look just try and think of like, dead puppies or something. And try not to focus on the things you love about her. You'll be fine. She's still one if our best friends right?" _Blaine added.

"I love everything about her. Even her diva behavior. Even the things most people find annoying. And that's the problem. And of course she's one of my best friends." Finn rubbed his forehead frustratedly. "But I know you're right. I need to be strong and put aside my feelings for her. I need to be her friend." Finn nodded his head with determination in his eyes.

_"Good. Tell me how it goes okay? I'll see you later. Good luck." _Blaine told him.

"Thanks man. See you later." Finn told him thankfully before pressing end on his phone. A light knock on the door startled him.

"Finn? Are you okay in there?" Rachel's beautiful voice wafted through the crack in the door.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Finn chuckled. "I just uh, got an annoying sales call." Finn lied.

"Oh I thought you fell in the toilet or something." Rachel laughed, opening the door and flashing him a smile. Finn laughed.

"No. My ass is too huge for the whole thing to fit down the toilet." Finn joked, pulling on his black jacket.

"Your ass isn't too big. Despite what Sebastian and Kurt may tell you sometimes. You know they're joking." Rachel pat his arm and looped hers within his.

"So where to captain?" Finn asked like a soldier as he saluted her.

"I was thinking we could eat some lunch at Starbucks. They have these really great cheese panini's. And we can get coffee of course." She grinned.

"Sounds great. Then what?" He asked grabbing his keys and leading her out the door.

"I don't know. I wish the ice rink was open. I've never actually learned." She pouted.

"I promise I'll take you when the open it." Finn promised.

"I'm going to hold you to that." Rachel told him pointedly. Finn laughed.

"Noted. Now let's go Princess Berry." Finn kissed her hand jokingly. She giggled and blushed.

"My knight in shining armor." She smiled up at him. His heart dipped dramatically but he suppressed the feeling. They walked arm in arm to the nearest Starbucks and ordered their food before sitting down.

"I'm so proud of you." Rachel said suddenly.

He looked up from his sandwich to look at her proud face smiling across at him.

"You're going to do amazing. I know it. You're so brave." She gushed. Finn blushed.

"You have no idea how much that means to me Rach." Finn replied quietly through his deep blush.

"Well I mean Finn. I love you. So much." Rachel told him. There was something in her eyes that Finn couldn't quite place.

"I love you too." He whispered. God dammit. It was so fucking hard to stop loving her when she did things like this. It's like she knew how he felt and was trying to torture him. She'd always been more affectionate with him and he wondered if a part of her felt like that too. _Fuck. Stop it Hudson. You're only making it worse._ Finn told himself sternly. Making up shit in his mind wasn't going to help him get over her.

She batted her eyelashes shyly and nibbled a little on her on panini. "We forgot the coffees." Rachel smacked her hand on her forehead and laughed. "We're at Starbucks and we forgot the coffee." She chuckled.

"I'll go get it." Finn started to stand up.

"No no no. It's your day. I'll go get the coffee." She quickly stood up and pushed his shoulders down. He gulped as her chest was right in his line of vision. Thats it, she was trying to kill him.

"Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino? Right?" She asked pulling her wallet out of her purse. His stupid heart skipped several beats at the thought of her knowing his favorite coffee order.

"Yeah." He grinned goofily at her. She nodded her head in that adorable Rachel Berry way and walked over to the counter. He watched her tap her little fingers on the counter and her sexy hips and ass sway as she waited patiently for their order.

He blinked trying to swat away his dirty thoughts as she walked over a minute later with his coffee and her own, non-fat vanilla macchiato. He thanked her and dove back into his sandwich.

A few minutes later they had finished their meals and put their coats back on, gripping their coffees in their hand and heading to the door. He bumped into this young blonde woman on his way out and apologized.

"Crap. Sorry. I've got big feet." He chuckled as Rachel stood on the side and watched the scene unfold in front of her.

"That's okay. I'm pretty clumsy myself." She chuckled and smiled flirtatiously at him. "I'm Charlotte." She held her hand out and he shook it.

"Finn." He shot a her a half smile. She was very pretty. Light blue eyes and pretty blonde hair. She was tall and obviously had a great body. She didn't have Rachel's sparkle or gleaming skin but she was sexy.

"It's a pleasure Finn." Her smile faltered as Rachel stepped up a little. Rachel's eyes watching their hands touch and then separate. The woman hadn't noticed Rachel standing there behind Finn.

"Finn? Are we leaving?" She asked, a weird tone to her voice. Finn shook his head to come back to Rachel.

"Right sorry Rach. It was nice to meet you Charlotte." Finn said quickly. Rachel grabbed Finn's arm and nearly ran out of the shop with him. Finn noticed she was really quiet and just sipping her coffee as they walked through the streets.

"Hey you okay?" He asked, bumping hips. She shrugged.

"Yeah." She said through a scratchy voice, a unknown look on her face. Was she _jealous? _Finn's heart quadrupled in pace and he tried not to think about it. He needed to focus on himself. Himself.

"Well what do you want to do?" He asked, her mood not changing at all. She shrugged.

"Um, do you want to go shopping? I know you love doing that." Finn absolutely _hated_ to see her unhappy. A smiling Rachel was a Rachel that brightened up his world.

"Yeah." She said simply. Something must be wrong. Rachel Berry was never this quiet.

"Hey." He pulled her off to the side and grabbed her hands. "Somethings wrong. Tell me." Finn pleaded. He pulled her chin up and gulped as he looked into her eyes. That girl (crap what was her name?) didn't have anything on Rachel. Nobody would be able to make him feel the way she did. Just by looking into her eyes his stomach curled and swam with what felt like snakes in the pit of his belly. It was pure adoration and love.

"Nothing Finn. Really, I'm just feeling emotional. It's that time of the month." She chuckled.

"Just know that you mean everything to me okay? You're my-" Finn gulped, hating his next words, "You're my best friend. No one is ever going to take your place." He assured her. She wiped her eyes that had slight tears and hugged him around his middle, burying her nose in his coat. He too laid his face into her hair. Kissing the crown of her head and pulling away, wiping her hot tears with his thumbs.

"I'm sorry. I'm just feeling so emotional right now." She told him, running her own thumbs across the back of his neck and managing a small smile up at him. He shivered and desperately hoped she didn't feel it. Why does this always happen to him? His body simply can't control itself when Rachel Berry is around.

"Now let's go have fun, okay Chipmunk?" He squeezed her little cheeks together and smiled at her. She finally let out one of his favorite laughs and cracked one of her sweet smiles.

"Thank you Finn. You know me too well." She grinned at him. And placed a lingering kiss on his cheek, closing her own eyes as her shining lips made contact with his stubbled cheek. He gripped her back harder and squeezed his eyes shut.

He was starting to think he had a problem. Maybe she was turning into an unhealthy obsession. Like Blaine's Harry Potter obsession. Oh hell, who was he kidding? He already felt like he was obsessed. It was scary how much he thought of her everyday.

But it's not like this was sick. Love wasn't exactly sick. It's not like he was watching her shower or following her to work and stuff. No. He would never be that creepy. He just really loved and really wanted to be with her. _Yeah, that must be it. _He justified himself as he she pulled away and squeezed his hand, leading him to Time Square as they never let each other's hand go.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hola shorty. Shorty number two." Sebastian greeted as he kissed Rachel's cheek and she let him in the apartment. Blaine rolled his eyes at his totally unoriginal names for Rachel and himself as he hung up his jacket. He and Rachel were ever the gracious hosts however.

"Gigantor." He nodded his head at Finn who was seated on the couch nursing his beer. "What are we eating for the celebratory dinner Rachel?" Sebastian asked, straightening the tie he'd adorned before coming over. They always told him he didn't need to be that formal for their dinners but he insisted.

"Finn's favorite meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I got his meatloaf recipe from his mom this afternoon. She was so happy when she found out she gave it to me without a fight. And you all know how protective she is over family recipes." Rachel pointed out cheerfully.

"Well aren't you special." He joked. She snuck her tongue out at him and disappeared into the kitchen.

"So how'd it go today?" Blaine asked like a gossiping schoolgirl. Sebastian turned an interested eye in their direction and away from the news on TV. Finn quickly went into the details of their day together. From her weird behavior at the coffee shop to their shopping trip full of laughter and joking.

"She loves you. She totally loves you." Blaine said completely convinced.

"You don't know that." Finn told him darkly.

"Really Finn? Are you that naive?" Sebastian said without remorse. Finn had gotten used to his blunt comments so it didn't bother him. "She's obviously feeling conflicted. Its obvious she loves, but she also loves Andrew. While the guys a complete dick, she sees something in him. I'm not sure of her feelings for you are new, but they're there." Sebastian said matter of factly.

"While extremely harsh, Sebastian is right Finn. Maybe you need to let her sort out her feelings first. Go on some dates." Blaine nodded his head in agreement.

"It's just hard to even think about going out with someone else. I mean, it's been almost a year since my last relationship. Since then Rachel's been the only woman on my mind. I don't know how I'll be able to go on a date with someone else and not compare her to Rachel." Finn tugged at his hair. Why did he have to feel this way?

"You just have to give it a try and hope it works." Blaine gave his arm a pat.

"What about you shorty? Any hot dates lined up for you?" Sebastian asked. Blaine blushed uncomfortably.

"No. I don't want to go out with anyone." Blaine replied, looking down at the ground and nothing else.

"Well don't mind my honesty, but you need to move on as well. It's been years since you and Kurt and you haven't been on a date at all. Its unhealthy to alone for so long." Sebastian pointed out.

"Yeah well-" Blaine started before he was interrupted by Kurt bursting through the door covered in rain.

"Hello all. Oh god is that meatloaf I smell?" Kurt'a nose brought him into the kitchen and he groaned at the smell that reminded him so much of home in Lima.

"Yep meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Finn's favorite." She blushed as all the guys cane into the kitchen, the smell of fresh meatloaf obviously alerting their senses.

"Smells heavenly Rach." Finn complemented honestly, looking deep into her gorgeous eyes.

"Will you guys set the table?" Rachel requested, barely taking her eyes off Finn as she handed the plates, forks, and napkins to Blaine, Kurt, and Sebastian. They all nodded and headed to the adjoined dining room.

"What are you eating? I hope you didn't just make yourself a salad or something." Finn said, rubbing her shoulder. He was worried she'd sacrifice her own hunger for his and the guys.

"I made myself a little tofu loaf. You're welcome to try it if you'd like." She teased, knowing he didn't care for tofu in the slightest.

"If you made it, it can't be all bad right? Make sure to save me a little piece." He told her. He lied, he actually hated it. But the smile on her face that she shot at him was worth everything to him.

"Well thank you." Rachel blushed that cute pink tint again.

"No problem." He smiled back. He felt an unbearable sexual tension arise as they stared at each other and he had a hard time not sliding that dress down her shoulders and simple worshiping her breasts with his tongue.

The arrive of Kurt, the cockblocker, snapped their eyes away from eachother. "So Rach, I forgot to ask this morning, how is Andrew doing lately? I haven't seen him since dinner a few days ago." Kurt started as he leaned against the counter next to the oven where Rachel and Finn were standing.

With that, Finn quickly left the room, not caring about how Andrew was doing. He sat down next to Blaine as he and Sebastian chatted idly about the latest broadway show. His ears blocked the sound of Rachel's laughter coming from the kitchen and it only got louder as she and Kurt appeared in the doorway of the kitchen carrying the food. She sat down next to him and started slicing up the mouthwatering meatloaf. Kurt plopped a generous helping of potatoes on everyones plate and Rachel placed two slices of meatloaf on his plate, smiling as she also put the bit of tofu loaf in his plate like he asked.

The dug into the meal, not much conversation arising because everyone was too busy stuffing their faces full of food. "So man, an 89 on your test? That's really good. That's really something to proud of." Blaine clamped him on the back as a start of a conversation.

"It's amazing. Probably all that studying he did. You should've seen him these past few days. He was always cooped up in his room with that manual and those notecards, just reading away. He really worked hard for this." Kurt told everyone at the table. Finn felt pride in his chest as everyone congratulated him again.

"It was nothing." Finn said sheepishly.

Rachel gasped dramatically and smacked his arm. "Its not nothing Finn! You're going to be a fireman. Its a brave and honorable way to spend you life. Firemen risk their lives everyday. You're like superheroes!" Rachel said in her usual fast paced Rachel talk. Finn laughed, he had never thought of that before. He was like a superhero.

"You're like superman. Sounds about right to me." Kurt smiled. Finn was a protective older brother, something Kurt was forever grateful for. Something Kurt always admired in his brother. Finn blushed for what felt like the hundredth time that night.

"Oh don't be so embarased Finn. This night is all about you. You should bask in the praise you're getting." Sebastian piped up from his spot across from the table from Finn.

"Speaking of celebrating." Kurt got up in a singsong voice and walked over to his messenger bag by the front door. He grinned cheekily as he pulled out a couple bottles of champagne. "Ready to get a little tipsy tonight Finn?" Kurt enticed. Finn smiled deviously.

"Fuck yeah. Pop that bottle open." Finn grinned happily.

Rachel sputtered indignantly. "You guys want to get drunk?" She asked incredulously.

"First of all, we're twenty one and it's perfectly legal diva." Kurt pointed his finger at her before he grabbed the bottle opener from a drawer in the kitchen. He popped it open and they all watched as it fizzled over slightly. Blaine got up to get some glasses.

"Not to mention the fact that some champagne isn't enough to get us completely hammered." Sebastian pointed out as Blaine came back in quickly, juggling the five glasses in his hands.

Kurt snorted, "Rachel will. She's so tiny I bet a glass of this stuff will make her tipsy." Rachel crossed her arms in a huff. Kurt poured them glasses and Blaine handed them out.

"I propose a toast. To Finn and his new, blossoming career as a superhero fire fighter. May you save many lives and have a happy, happy life doing the things you love, with the people you love most, in this beautiful city that never sleeps!" Kurt said graciously.

"Here here!" They all shouted happily as Finn beamed. He was so grateful for the love he recieved from the people in this room. They took generous swigs of their champagne, even Rachel. Sebastian and Finn downed theirs all the way.

"Before we get all tipsy, I just wanted thank you guys for supporting me. And for this celebration. It means so much that I have amazing friends out here in the big city. Friends who support me no matter what. It just- it really means the world to me. I wouldn't have been able to do this without you guys. So thanks." Finn finished his speech to Kurt ruffling his hair and Rachel laying her head on his shoulder.

"We love you Finn." Blaine said, speaking for all them. "And we're so proud of you. You're gonna do amazing out there man." They all nodded in agreement happily as Sebastian refilled all their glasses.

"I'm gonna move to the couch. This chair is hurting my butt." Finn smiled down at Rachel who stood up and followed him. Sebastian leaning back in his chair and propping his feet up on the table. Blaine thumbed through his phone as he sipped his champagne and Kurt began to clear the table.

"Did you enjoy dinner Finny?" Rachel asked as she hiccuped after taking a swig of champagne. Finn had to stifle a laugh at how fast she was becoming tipsy. After one and a half glasses of champagne. She really really had a low tolerance for alcohol.

"Dinner was absolutely amazing Rachel. Thank you so much." Finn gushed as they leaned on each other.

"I have dessert too." She look up at him through her lashes and his lips lifted upward at the sight of her sweet face.

"Mmm yeah? What is it?" Finn asked, his stomach grumbling even though he'd just eaten dinner. He really hoped it some of her cookies. Or, god, her pies. Her pies were so fucking delicious.

"Berry pie." She nodded her head proudly.

Finn snorted so loudly it startled Rachel. "Berry Pie? That's fucking hilarious Rach." Finn held his sides and laughed freely at the confused look on her face.

"I fail to see why that's so funny." Rachel commented quietly.

"You're gonna a slice me a piece of Berry Pie? Do you have any idea how dirty of an innuendo that is?" Finn cried through his tears of laughter.

"It's a berry pie. I really don't see how funny that is. It's raspberries, blueberries, and cherries." She huffed.

"Sorry Rach. It really does sound awesome. Just the way you said it so nonchalantly. It was freakin hilarious." Finn wiped his eyes free of any excess tears.

"Why can't I have just one girlfriend?" She muttered to herself.

"Why? What's wrong with us?" Finn asked, not caring that she wasn't really talking to him.

"Kurt's great, really. I can do almost anything with him. But well, the fact is he still has a penis." Rachel said matter of factly. Finn choked on his champagne at the word penis. Hearing that word roll off her tongue was one of the biggest turnons he'd ever felt in his life. He couldn't even imagine what it would've like if she'd said the word dick.

"What?" He sputtered, wiping his mouth. She looked at him amused at his reaction and continued.

"I mean, this is a sausage fest." Rachel said simply. Finn laughed at her way of saying she was surround by all guys.

"Rachel, that's the funniest thing I've ever heard you say." Finn chuckled. The other guys didn't seem to be paying much attention so they continued to talk as if they were the only two there.

"You suck. And it's totally true. I need a girlfriend." She pouted.

"So you're a lesbian now? Since when?" Finn joked. She slapped his arm hard.

"You know what I meant jerk." Kurt came over and refilled their glasses again, allowing Rachel to take another swig.

"So why didn't you want Andrew to come tonight?" Finn asked before he could stop himself. Stupid word vomit.

"We had a fight the other day." She said simply. He knew it was the little bit of alcohol that was lowering her inhibitions. She was a private person when it came to her relationships.

"What about?" Finn whispered, not wanting the other guys to get wind of what they were talking about. They might stop him from finding out what was going on. And right now, he could feel his heart in his throat and it was beating erratically right now. He needed to know.

"You." She answered, her head falling onto his shoulder as she wiped drool from her chin.

Finn's eyes widened and his voice shook as he asked his next question, "W-what about me?"

"He doesn't want me to be friends with you. He said straight guys are only friends with straight girls for one reason, and one reason only. He thinks you want to sleep with me." She whispered, looking up into his eyes, a slight sheen of tears in her own. "That's not why you're my friend right?"

Finn shook his head and felt anger bubbling in the pit of his stomach, "No Rach. That is absolutely not the reason. I'm your friend because I love you. Because you're an amazing person. Because your smart, talented, ambitious, sweet, and beautiful. Don't ever think that I just want to sleep with you, okay?" Finn told her fiercely, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her forehead. Andrew was such a fucking dick. She nodded and Finn knew she was crying.

"I know he loves me. But he gets so ridiculously jealous when it comes to guys. You especially. He asked me stop seeing you. To stop being your friend. And I couldn't do that. You can't ask someone to stop seeing their best friend." Rachel shook away her tears angrily. "So I waited for you and the guys to leave before I kicked him out. I didn't want to embarrass myself. Or Andrew. I think Blaine was in his room. I felt so bad, but I was just so angry." She wiped more tears away and cuddled further into his chest.

"You have a right to be Rach. He can't dictate your life and who you're friends with. That should be your decision and your decision alone." Finn told her, rubbing her shoulder. "A-are you guys still t-together?" Finn asked through his gulp.

"Yes. We are, I think. I haven't talked to him since that night you guys came over." Rachel shrugged sadly. Finn knew he was going to regret it, he knew it was going to kill him, but he had to make her happy. She deserved to be happy.

"Maybe you should call him. Tomorrow I mean. You're kinda tipsy right now, so it wouldn't be the best time to call him. If you still want to be with him, you should do anything you can to fix it." Finn'a voice wavered and he hated himself for being such a good friend, for not telling her to break it off with him. For not telling her he was desperately in love with her.

But that would be incredibly selfish of him. He loved her too much to see her unhappy. "You really think so?" She asked quietly, looking up at him, her eyes shining with what looked like sadness. He couldn't really tell.

"Yeah. If it uh, if it makes you happy." Finn replied, feeling sick to his stomach as she laid her head back down on his shoulder and sighed.

"Then I'll do it." She answered so quietly he almost didn't hear her. He pulled her in closer if possible and kissed the side of her hair.

"Dessert! Rachel made some fucking fantastic berry pie!" Kurt announced loudly as he sloppily cut the pie in pieces so they could all grab one. Blaine brought both Finn and Rachel's pie with smile, Finn sending one gratefully back to him. Once everyone had gotten a piece, they gathered around the tv and watched the evening news, Blaine passing out around ten o'clock, his face falling forward into his pie and his lips moving as they mumbled quietly into his pie.

Sebastian left at eleven, claiming he needed to shower ASAP, given he had a blueberry stain the size of manhattan on his new shirt. He also had school in the morning and his internship at the local hospital.

"I have a brunch date with Will in the morning, so I think I'm gonna head home okay?" Kurt yawned and sipped his water, wanting to feel less lightheaded on the cab ride home.

"Yeah, um, I think I'll stay here for a while and make sure these two get to bed. I dont start at the station for a couple days so I don't really have any plans. See you home man." Finn rubbed the back of his neck at the same time he discreetly ran his hand down Rachel's back. Kurt nodded and said goodnight, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Finn sighed and did his best to pull his arm away from Rachel who was drooling slightly all over his right sleeve. He managed to pull away and watched as she curled up in the warm spot he just got up from. He made his way over to Blaine, who was still face first in his pie. Funny that no one bothered to pull his face out of it before.

"Blaine man. Get up. You might wanna go wash your face before you go to bed." Finn shook Blaine's shoulder and grabbed his head with one hand, pulling the plate out from under him with the other hand. Blaine grumbled uncomfortably and went to rub his face, his eyes shooting wide open when his finger was swiped into some pie filling.

"Crap. What happened?" He asked sleepily.

"You fell asleep in your pie. Everyone else is gone." Finn answered passing him his cup of water.

"How are you not even a little drunk?" Blaine asked, sighing at the cool water flowing down his throat.

"Well, for one, I'm not a hobbit like you and Rach. Two, I didn't basically drink a bottle of champagne all by myself. You and Rachel had a lot to drink. And I'm much bigger. It takes a lot more for me to get drunk." Finn chuckled. He felt a little lightheaded, but he wasn't loopy like Blaine and Rachel.

"Right. Thanks Finn. I think I'm going to go wash my face then go to bed. You got her covered?" Blaine asked, pointing to somewhere in Rachel's vicinity.

"Yeah. I uh, I got her." Finn answered, glancing over at Rachel's adorable sleeping form.

Blaine smiles through his teeth at the look of Finn's face. "Of course you do." He said cheekily, earning a shove from Finn.

"Shut up." Finn told him half jokingly as Blaine laughed and went to his room. Finn heaved a sigh and crouched down low next to the sofa so that he was at eye level with her. "How are you feeling?" He asked her gently, rubbing the apple of her cheek softly as her eyes fluttered open.

"Mmm." She groaned, "My head hurts." She moaned, her left hand shooting to her temple and rubbing it. Finn frowned.

"You want some Advil and water before bed?" He asked quietly. She nodded and cracked a smile at him. He lept up as quickly as he could and poured her a cold glass of water before grabbing the bottle of Advil and hightailing it back to her.

"Here." He rubbed her hair as she sipped the water and downed the water.

"You're the best Finny." She laid back down and held her hands to her head. "I wish my body wouldn't react this much to a little alcohol. It freakin sucks." She grumbled.

"I know. Let's just get you to bed so you can sleep it off." Finn grabbed under her knees and the middle of her back to carry her bridal style to her bed down the hall. He pulled open the covers before laying her down and covering her back up. Once she was looking settled and comfortable he kissed her forehead in goodnight and began to head out of the room.

"Finn, wait!" Her muffled voice came from behind her covers. He turned around to see her blushing furiously.

"Hmm?" He asked curiously.

"Will you stay with me? It's cold." She asked, embarrassed. Finn's heart did funny leaps and twirls as he nodded silently and tore off his sweater, climbing onto the other side of her bed. He waited awkwardly for a moment before she shifted under the covers and cuddled next to him, her hair fanned out against his chest and her hot breath making goosebumps appear all over his body.

"Thank you for doing this for me." She whispered into his chest as she dosed off slowly.

"I'll always be here for you Rach." He whispered into her ear before fighting the intense urge to kiss her upper lip. He settled for kissing the top of her head again. Chills invading his body as he buried his face into her hair and kept it there, his stomach churning painfully as his thought of how _this_ is how it should be. Rachel and Finn together forever. He'd never let her go if he had the chance to be hers. He'd be here Prince Charming. And she'd be his gorgeous princess. Too bad life wasn't like a fairy tale.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Finn woke up and rolled over, fully expecting to feel Rachel's tiny form underneath his. Unfortunately, he woke up to an empty side of the bed, only her light vanilla perfume a reminder that she had asked him to sleep with her last night. She asked him to lay in bed with her and hold her. And she has instigated it, not him.

He crawled out of the bed and walked sleepily to the kitchen where Blaine was brewing some coffee and making himself some toast. His triangular eyebrows shot up when he saw Finn's messy state. "Finn? What are you doing here?" He asked confusedly.

"Rachel asked me to stay over last night. We didn't do anything dirty." Finn clarified, noticing Blaine's lips quirk up into a sly smile.

"Oh right." Blaine said winking as if he didn't believe him.

"Seriously man. We just slept. Where is she?" Finn asked as he rubbed his eyes and searched for a clean coffee mug.

"She's uh..." Blaine started quietly, running his hand through his mess of curls.

"She's what Blaine?" Finn asked seriously, suddenly fearing the worst.

"She's at breakfast with Andrew." Blaine answered and Finn felt his stomach drop like a heavy weight. An uneasy feeling settled into his stomach as Blaine spoke his next words, "She called him at like seven this morning. She said you told her to call him and she did. He came over and picked her up for breakfast. That's why I was kinda hoping you two had been together. I thought maybe she was going to break up with him." Blaine answered sadly.

_Thats right moron. You did tell her that. You can't be upset and hurt that she's working things out with him, you told her to do so. _

"Yeah. She uh, deserves happiness." Finn answered vaguely, ignoring Blaine's sympathetic stares.

"What are you going to do? I know your feelings for her didn't just get swept away." Blaine asked supportively as he handed Finn a mug of steamy coffee and passed him the creamer.

"I still love her. And last night made me love her even more ya know? Like, laying there and holding her, it just made me so fucking happy. I felt like everything in my life would be okay. If I could just hold her forever." Finn told him, feeling like a pathetic, lovesick loser. "But at the same time I think the best for me is to get over her. She's obviously going to stay with Andrew. I think it's about time I moved on too. Not that she ever had to move on from me. But I'm going to a club tonight. And for once I'm going to live my life and not think about Rachel. Not compare every woman I see to Rachel." Finn said firmly, nodding his head as if to convince himself of this plan.

"Well you need a wingman right? I'll go with you." Blaine smiled at him and sipped his coffee. "I think you wanting to change of your life is a great idea." Blaine added.

"You wanna go clubbing with me tonight?" Finn asked.

"Hell yeah. I'm sick of pining over Kurt. He doesn't give me the time of day and obviously had no problem moving on. Maybe we never will get back together and I think it's about time I accepted that too." Blaine gulped and ripped some of his toast.

"Deal. We'll get over our respective loves together." Finn and Blaine shook hands on it and the subject was this dropped.

"You're welcome to anything in our fridge by the way." Blaine said through a mouthful of toast.

"Nah. Thanks for the offer though. I should get going, I need to change out of my smelly clothes. What do you say we head out around nine? I don't want to go too early, but who knows how long we'll be there." Finn got up and chugged the rest of his coffee. "And Blaine, trying to wear something cool. Something less... Colorful." Finn chuckled. "We don't want to be too noticed."

Blaine nodded but he looked confused. Finn loved Blaine like a freakin brother and he had absolutely no problem with anyone being gay or lesbian. But he also did not need people to think Finn was gay and on a date with his boyfriend. That would completely kill any plan he had of getting some hot blonde to come over and maybe have a late night romp with him. He just _had_ to get over Rachel. And if needed to sleep with every drunken woman in Manhatten to do it, then so be it.

Finn waved and thanked Blaine for the coffee before heading out into the streets and hailing a cab. He arrived home to an empty loft, something he was eternally grateful for. His phone buzzed with a text from Blaine, asking him if his outfit was acceptable.

It was a pair of black jeans, a black dress shirt, a gray sweater, and a dark green bow tie. Figuring he couldn't change who Blaine was, Finn sent back an okay, telling him the dark colors were good. He exited out of his messaging app and stared at the picture of Rachel as his background.

It had been one from a few months ago. The two of them had gone out for ice cream and proceeded to have a very violent ice cream fight, in which Finn had gotten ice cream up his nose. He had swirled his chocolate ice cream on her nose and cheeks. She had a breathtaking smile on her face and her nose was all scrunched up adorably. She allowed him to take the pic only to surprise him and shove her own vanilla ice cream in his face. He'd never loved her more than he did in that moment.

But that was the past. And she obvious didn't feel the same way he did. She just felt a really close connection to him as friends. That's why she asked him to sleep over last night. He felt like he was trying to convince himself to go out with his plan tonight. But he would get over Rachel Berry, if it was the last thong he did. He was tired of taking a backseat and being lonely.

With his mind made up, he spent the rest of his day, changing, taking a shower, eating, and playing xbox.

It wasn't until eight o'clock that Kurt came through the door looking exhausted. He had his bag overflowing with sketches and he looked beat. "Hey man. You look fucking tired." Finn observed as Kurt plopped on the couch and laid his head back.

"I am. Isabelle worked me like a dog tonight. First, I had to go get coffee for everyone for this meeting she was holding, then some jackass freaked out on me while on the phone. Something about his order of dresses being completely wrong. And then Isabelle wanted my help. Which was fine and all but I was the one who had to draw. And you know I'm not the strongest drawer. I had to sit there and draw every little detail she said about some designs she was thinking of. It's a lot harder than it sounds." Kurt stressed as he kicked off his loafers and watched Finn play Call of Duty. "So how was your day? You come home at all last night? I didn't hear you come in at all." Kurt questioned, wincing as Finn shot some guys and blood squirted out of them.

"Rachel asked me to stay last night so I stayed. And I haven't really done much today. Blaine and I are going ubbing tonight though. Hoping to pick up some hot girls. Or I guess, in Blaine's case." Finn shrugged.

"What did Rachel want you to stay for. And clubbing? Since when?" Kurt looked confused at both of Finn's answers.

"She was just cold and a little drunk. I felt bad leaving her alone. And yeah we are, since now. You all have significant others, even Sebastian, so why not Blaine and I." Finn said a little testily.

Kurt nodded his head at his answer to the Rachel question. "You know you don't need a girlfriend to be happy right?" Kurt asked softly.

"Says the man in a happy relationship. Look Kurt, I've made up my mind. I'm sick of seeing you all happy with your boyfriends. It's time I got a girl of my own." Finn spit, not even looking in his brothers direction.

"Fine. It's your life, I just want you to be happy." Kurt said standing up and stretching his legs. "Now I have to go change into something more comfortable. Please answer the door when someone knocks. Rachel will be here in bout ten to fifteen minute. We're having dinner and we need to talk about the latest issue of Vogue." Kurt told him. Finn nodded and went back to his game.

Great, Rachel would be here tonight. She'd be here before he left. That's all he needed was for Rachel to show up and completely make him change his mind about moving on. She had the amazing ability to that for some damn reason.

He waited in silence for a few minutes. It was stupid, he shouldn't feel bad that he was going out to find a woman. She didn't love him back so why did he feel so guilty?

The little knock on the door startled him and he got up slowly to answer the door. He wrenched it open to see Rachel's smiling face. "Hi Finn." She smiled up at him shyly. Finn internally cursed the way his stomach dipped at the sound of her soft voice.

"Hey Rach." He managed a small smile back as he opened the door wider and stepped to the left to allow her to pass. He felt her eyes on him as she walked across the doorway.

He shut the door and sat back down in the couch, picking up his controller again. She sat down quietly next to him, looking a little confused. "So um, where's Kurt?" She asked, carefully as if she was afraid to upset him.

"He's just getting changed. He got home about ten minutes ago." Finn answered nonchalantly.

She nodded her head in understanding. "Look, I wanted to thank you for taking such good care of me yesterday. A-and for um, catering to my every whim." She chuckled shakily. In Rachel-speak, he knew that meant she was sorry for falling asleep all over him and then leaving kn the morning without so much as a thank you.

"No problem. It's what friends are for remember?" He forced a smile in her direction. She frowned at his obvious bad mood.

"F-Finn, is something wrong? You seem kind of upset about something. I'm so sorry I left this morning but I called Andrew like you said and he asked me to have breakfast with him. And you looked so tired and warm so I didn't want to wake you." She said really quickly and nervously. Finn sighed. He didn't want things to be awkward between them, she was still his best friend after all.

"No it's not you. I understand, you have a boyfriend and you love him. That's fine. It's just, I'm kinda worried about tonight." Finn lied through his teeth. He couldn't let her know that waking up without her next to him and then finding out she was with Andrew, made him feel like somebody had stabbed a sword through his heart.

"What's tonight?" She asked. Well, he might as well tell her know. Blaine would be here in a little less than half an hour.

"Blaine and I are going out tonight. Like, to a club. To meet people you know? Maybe feel less lonely." Finn stuttered through his sentence, not daring to look her way.

"Oh," She looked extremely surprised and almost sad, "What do you mean you're lonely?" She asked, placing a hand on his knee and making his breath hitch.

"Well, you, Kurt, and Sebastian all have boyfriends. Sometimes it gets kinda lonely when Blaine and I are the only ones left with love." _And I'm trying to get over you_. Finn said that last part in his head as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well you know I love you." She whispered sweetly as she rubbed her hand over his knee again.

"R-Rach. You know what I mean." He stammered.

"I guess-" She started before Kurt interrupted. Man, he had a knack for doing that didn't he?

"C'mon Diva! I got our face masks all ready, the wicked soundtrack is already in the CD player, and Vogue is more than ready to be read!" Kurt announced loudly from his bedroom.

"Okay Kurt! I'll be there in a minute!" She called back. She then gulped before saying her next words, "I really hope you have fun Finn." Her sad voice nearly broke his heart. What did this fucking mean? Was she sad to think she was loosing him? Or was she jealous that he might come home and fuck some other woman? He just didn't fucking know, and he was starting to get a damn headache now.

"I will." He said like a douchebag and immediately wanted to punch himself at her crestfallen look.

"Bye." She whispered, kissing his forehead almost lovingly. She lingered on his forehead for what felt like minutes on end. His heart was in his throat and all he could do was stare at the exposed top halves of her breasts. The warm, creamy tan skin right there in his face. She pulled away and gave him a sad, forced smile before sniffling and retreating to Kurt's bedroom.

He stared after her for several minutes, hating himself for how weak he was with her. His need to get over felt even stronger now. The more he loved her, the more it hurt when he saw her with Andrew, and he was just so sick of the pain. So he gulped back any feelings of regret and turned off his game, deciding to go get ready for his night of partying.

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He woke up the next morning feeling similar to the morning before when he'd woke up in Rachel's bed. But this time, there was someone in the bed with him. He turned his head the right and saw a mop of blonds hair. Emily? No Erica that was it.

He and Blaine had so much fun last night. He vaguely remembered Blaine walking away with some guy just as he had brought Erica a drink. She was blonde, tall, had light blue eyes, and big fake boobs. He tried not to compare her to Rachel, who was t fake at all and who had flawless everything, but he couldn't help it.

That didn't mean Erica was great though. She was very experienced in bed and knew how to satisfy a man. She was a little bitchy and rude, but he could deal with it. In his drunken state and hazy, horny mind, he hadn't thought too much about Rachel last night. The only real big time was when she screeched out his name as she climazed and Finn imagined it was Rachel instead.

But, this was good. He needed Erica right now. He needed her to get over Rachel. And this could be his ticket to happiness. Sure, he didn't see himself marrying Erica, but she was definitely a good start.

He slowly and quietly crawled out of bed, making sure not to wake Erica. His mom always taught him to respect women, so he was going to make Erica breakfast. Who knows, maybe they could even start a relationship. He pulls on some pants and makes his way out the door.

What he doesn't expect is to see Rachel humming adorably to herself while she cooks breakfast. Her nightgown riding higher up on her tanned legs as she reaching for plates.

She gets startled when Finn easily reaches over her head and grabs them for her. She smiled up at him in thanks. "The other plates are in the dishwasher. You know, the ones Kurt puts on the lower shelf for us vertically challenged people." She laughs.

His chest shakes a bit as he lets out a laugh. He knows he has a girl waiting for him in his bedroom, but he can't help but admire Rachel. Her warm skin, shiny hair, and big brown eyes are pulling him in like a tractor beam.

She stares back until the sausage starts to sizzle in the pan. She ruffled his hair and turns the burners off. "I though you and Kurt might like some sausage with breakfast. I just cooked the rest of the package." She said matter of factly.

His stomach drops. "Um Rach?" He asked nervously, feeling his throat constrict painfully as her gorgeous eyes turn to look at him.

"I kinda have a girl over. And I was going to make her breakfast." Finn mumbled, hating himself when her entire demeanor changed. She went from happy and content to just plain sad. She tried to cover it up with an enormous fake smile. God dammit he had no idea what that meant. Did she like him too? Fuck this was so complicated.

"Thats great Finn! I'm so happy for you. You deserve to be happy. Of course I'll make her a plate too." She was smiling but Finn could clearly see the pain in her eyes and he tried to ignore it, unsure of what she was feeling. Hell, he was unsure of what _he_ was feeling.

He nodded stupidly and leaned in for a hug. He just needed to hug her. He closed his eyes at the feeling and sacred for as long as he could. "Hey Finny!" Erica's sultry voice came wafting into the kitchen as she leaned against the door frame. "Who's this?" She asked rudely, pointing to Rachel like she was some disgusting disease.

"This is my best friend Rachel. Rachel, this is Erica." Finn said, trying to ignoring Erica's rude behavior towards Rachel. Erica ran a hand through her dirty blonde hair.

"Pleasure." Her lip curled unpleasantly as she shook Rachel's hand, looking her up and down as of judging every thing about her. Rachel smiled at her politely but it was more than obvious that she disliked her already.

"So what are you doing in here Finny? Macking on her nonetheless." Erica spat.

"Look, I have no idea what your deal with me is-" Rachel started, blushing furiously. Finn sensed a cat fight coming on so decided to intervene.

"Erica, why don't you wait inside my room? I'll bring you breakfast." Finn promised. She smiled at him and kissed his lips firmly, making sure Rachel could clearly see. She looked away faced the counter again. Finn's eyes were all over Rachel's back.

Erica sauntered out of the room and they were left in complete silence. Finn felt the awkwardness of the situation bubble up through the air.

"So um, she's... Pretty?" Rachel said, her back turned towards him. Finn leaned forward.

"I'm really sorry about that. I have no idea what her problem was. She wasn't this bitchy last night. Maybe she's just hungry." Finn shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah that must be it." She said with iciness in her voice. "Look, it doesn't matter anyways. She's your girlfriend, our opinions don't matter." She said, putting together two plates. One for her and for Kurt obviously.

"Is that really what you think?" Finn asked, hurt.

"Well when you pick someone like _that_, it's obvious you weren't thinking about how kind and sweet she'd be." Rachel said with false sweetness in her tone.

"What does that mean?" He asked through gritted teeth as he gripped her arm while she attempted to walk past him.

"It doesn't matter." She mumbled, "Now let me go." She demanded, trying to pull her arm out his grasp. When he didn't relent, she pulled harder. "Seriously Finn. I have work in an hour and a half. All I want to do is eat breakfast with my best friend and then go to work. Not deal with you and your phycho new girlfriend." She pulled her arm away and gripped the plates, with no remorse at all.

"She's not crazy. She probably just didn't like how close we were. I'm sure it made her nervous." Finn figured he should at least attempt to defend the girl waiting in his room.

"Whatever Finn. Have fun." She spat at him before brushing past him and slamming Kurt's door shut.

Well what the fuck was her problem? Sure Erica had been a little bitchy, but maybe she was hormonal or something. She seemed nice enough the night before. Rachel had Andrew, what did she need to go rain on Finn's parade for?

This was one of the rare times when Rachel actually got pissed at him. Usually she'd be frustrated but she hadn't stormed out on him since sometime in high school. She can't get mad at him for dating Erica when she's dating Andrew. And he's no angel either. He treats Finn like crap half the time. And does Rachel really do anything? Not really. Women can be so fucking bipolar.

Finn sighed frustratedly and tried not to think about the small amount of guilt that's had been pooling in his belly. He still cared about her, _so_ damn much. If only he could understand what she was thinking. That would make everything so much easier.

Finn ran a hand through his hair before he made a plate for himself and Erica. His perverted mind wandered to what little Rachel had been wearing. So much deliciously tan skin. Finn was almost drooling into his plate of eggs at the thought. _Stop it idiot_. Finn told himself sternly. God look at him. Fantasizing about his best friend who was pissed at him, when he had a hot blonde waiting in his bed.

Pushing Rachel out of his mind, Finn made his way down the hall, taking one last glance at Kurt's closed door before shutting his own with a gentle click.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**So Finchel got a little closer before having a small blowout. And now Finn is with someone. Ouch! ;) Oh and for the reader asking if Kurt's boyfriend was Mr. Shue, absolutely not. Lol XD I definitely should've specified now that I think about it, the description was similar to Matt Morrison as well as his characters name. That would be super creepy. Just to clarify! :) He's based more off of Will Sherrod. **


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm loving the reaction I'm getting to this story! Nearly 40 reviews in just two chapters. That's the most I've gotten since I started to write fanfiction! So thank you all sooooo much. I've very grateful. :) Remember: Reviews are love! **

**P.S: I'm sorry this update took so long. I've had a busy few weeks. :)**

**We Love Cory Monteith!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. They belong to Ryan Murphy and the Glee writers. **

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Finn spent the next few weeks in a weird relationship with Erica. Like, they were sort of together, but Finn was sorta half into it. He felt absolutely horrible about it, but he couldn't help the fact that he was just using her to get over Rachel. Which so far, had been working fairly well. He had thought about her less than usual. Which could be due to the fact that he hadn't talked to her much thanks to their fight.

Erica was quite the snob though. She always criticized people when they were out in the city, she liked to rant on Rachel after every meal they had with his friends, and she treated him like a baby. Like he was some kind of moronic kindergartner. But she was hot. Like supermodel hot, and her looks were a good distraction from her shitty personality.

Not that she didn't treat him nicely sometimes. Occasionally there would be the hint of kindness in her voice or her gentle, lovingly touches. It was times like that when Finn felt somewhat content. Like he was making the right decision by dating her.

His friends however, didn't like her at all. Kurt dealt with her only because she liked to criticize fashion as he did, Blaine and Rachel thought she was an absolute bitch, and Sebastian, well Sebastian didn't really have an opinion on her. He dealt with her but didn't talk to her much so Finn assumed he was okay with her. Sebastian was always the introvert though. Even his new guy friends he'd met since starting at the station didn't like her, and they hadn't even met her yet.

Thats where he was currently, sitting on his new friend, Puck's, couch. Surrounded by his other friends Sam Evans, Artie Abrams, and Mike Chang. It was nice to have friends that he could talk to about dating women. Not that Blaine, Kurt, and Sebastian weren't nice to talk to, but there were just some things they didn't understand.

"And the worst part is, she doesn't like, want to commit to me right now. She told me I was on a 'trial run basis'. I don't even know what that means." Finn complained as he shoved potato chips into his mouth while sitting on his new friends' couch and playing video games.

"So? Dude this is like a fucking golden opportunity for you! You get to bang her and not have to commit? What are you a fucking girl? Any other dude would jump at the chance you have!" His new friend, Noah Puckerman exclaimed excitedly.

He liked to be called Puck though. He said it was more manly than Noah. He was one of those stereotypical badboys who thought he was gods gift to all women. But he seemed like a great friend and had been really nice to Finn on his first day at the station. Funnily enough, Finn, Rachel, and Blaine had already met Puck and his girlfriend Quinn that night at the theater. It was truly a small world. Puck had laughed about it for hours, saying his first impression of Finn was that he was douchebag.

Then there was Mike Chang, a twenty five year old guy who was engaged to his high school sweetheart Tina. He was a phenomenal dancer but couldn't find any continuous work so he went to work for the station until he was able to get a stable job as a dancer.

Artie Abrams had studied film in college and was now a full time director. He'd only done a few small, low budget movies and independent films, but he was very good at what he did. He and Finn also shared a special love of the Mario Brothers, something Puck called an amateur game for sixth graders. Artie responded by wheeling his chair over Pucks foot and making him scream in pain.

Finally there was Sam Evans. He was a model for some weird male underwear brand. Both Puck and Mike worked at the station with Finn, while Sam and Artie were merely roommates with Puck. So Artie, Sam, and Finn were friends by association. But both guys were really awesome and Sam did some really great impressions.

"I know I have it good, but still. Most of my friends have stable relationships, while I'm just doing some cranky woman." Finn rubbed his forehead as he and Sam lost the match to Puck and Mike. Artie was busy typing away on laptop, claiming minutes earlier that he had a brilliant idea for a manuscript.

"Alright losers, Mike you're now with Sammy, and Finn you're with me." Puck instructed as he started another match.

"Guys c'mon. I need your help. You're literally the first straight guy friends I've had since high school." Finn sighed frustratedly. "Blaine is super awesome, but I can't talk to him about women ya know?"

"Yeah yeah Princess Jasmine, we get it. That chick really did look uptight. I always told Sammy here that brunettes were the hardest to tame. That kind of shit is reserved only for pros like me." Puck boasted. Sam rolled his eyes. Pucks comment finally sunk in after Mike blew the head off Finn's character on the screen.

"Wait, brunette? Erica is a blonde." Finn turned to Puck confused.

"Then who was the hottie with the sexy long legs you were with at the theater a few weeks back? That wasn't your girlfriend?" Puck popped open a beer and chugged it quickly.

"Thats Rachel Berry. She's my uh, she's my best friend." Finn's ears turned pink and his head clouded with thoughts of how screwed up his relationship with Rachel was right now. They hadn't talked much lately and he really missed her company.

"No shit? I thought the way you two were eye fucking meant you were boning her." Puck whistled lowly. "That means she's free?" Puck asked nonchalantly.

"She has a boyfriend." Finn snapped quickly. "And we weren't eye fucking." Finn added quietly.

"Whoa whoa, don't bite my head off. I was only half joking. I have a girl." Puck put his hands up in mock surrender.

"Yeah Q has got his balls on lockdown, if he said something like that around her, she'd deprive him of his sex. Then his dick would probably explode." Sam snorted into his Coca cola. Puck flicked it upwards so the bubbly liquid got all over Sam's shirt and up his nose. "Fuck! Screw you Puckerman!" Sam whined as he grabbed a napkin and blew soda out his nose. "Dammit. Artie, take over for me, I gotta go change my shirt now. Damn that's fizzy." Sam tossed the controller to Artie and smacked Puck on the back of the head for good measure before blowing his nose free of soda bubbles.

"But I don't-" Artie muttered quickly, not wanting to kill his train of thought by playing a game. He looked like he was struggling with himself for a moment before he caved and picked the controller up.

"Asshole." Puck muttered as he glared at Sam's retreating figure.

"You guys don't understand how important this script is. It pays for my portion of the rent." Artie muttered.

"Then don't play dopey." Puck told him.

"Well, I do have the controller now. Seems a shame not to play." Artie reasoned happily as he pushed his glasses higher up on the bridge of his nose, making Mike chuckle.

"Anyways, why haven't you done Berry yet? And don't lie, you were eye fucking. And touching each other pretty provocatively too. Your hand was about an inch away from her tit." Puck wiggled his eyebrows and elbowed Finn. He blushed deep red. That's all he needed was to start thinking about Rachel's breasts.

"She's my best friend and I told you, she has a boyfriend. And ticking her wasn't provocative. We were just having fun." Finn said sheepishly.

"Yes because I go to the theater with Sam all the time and like to tickle him before the movie starts." Puck rolled his eyes at Finn's lame excuse.

"Dude seriously, just drop it." Finn said firmly.

"Not until you tell me if you wanna bone her or not. The Puckerman knows all things sex related. I know when there's some hot sexual chemistry going on. All you gotta do is confirm my suspicions." Puck compromised.

"Fine. Maybe I like her just a little bit." _Lie_. "But I would never do anything about it." Finn's cheeks blushed red at the admission and Puck rose his eyebrows at him as if telling him to speak the truth.

"You really expect me to believe that? She's hot, and had some of the sexiest legs I've ever seen. You are straight right?" Puck asked seriously.

"Fuck you. And yes I am. Is it that hard to believe I can be friends with a female?" Finn said, avoiding eye contact with the other guys.

"Course not. I'm friends with Dani and I don't wanna fuck her. But you obviously want Berry bad. I have a sixth sense for this kind of shit man." Puck boasted.

"Isn't Santana lesbian?" Mike pointed out. Puck glared over at him.

"Details, details. Now seriously dude. We're all bros now. Sharing sex details is in the description of being bros. As long as you don't talk about making love or some sappy shit like that. I can't handle that shit." Puck shuddered.

"How does Quinn put up with you?" Artie asked. "But really Finn. You might as well just tell the idiot. He wont leave you alone until you do." Artie added as he leaned over to grab some Oreo's.

"Fine, how about I just say, I'm hopelessly in love with her. Happy?" Finn spat.

"Told ya. The Puckerman knows all. So what are you gonna do about it?" Puck asked.

"Nothing. I'm going to move on. She doesn't feel the same way so it was over before it even began. Now can we fucking drop this please?" Finn asked, his anger increasing the more he thought about his shitty situation. He'd seriously been trying to shove those thoughts into the back of his brain and Puck was just unhelpfully bringing them all back.

Puck opened his mouth to retort before Mike discreetly kicked him in the shin, silently telling him to shut the hell up. He took the hint and closed his mouth, not saying anything else on the matter. There was a few tense minutes in which the four men sat there and played their game.

Sam walked in just as Finn and Puck got their virtual asses handed to them. "Burrr. What the hell happened in here?" Sam asked, referring to the awkward silence and tension in the room.

"Nothing. What the fuck took you so long Evans?" Puck changed the subject quickly.

"What? A guy can't take a crap and change his shirt in his own apartment now? You're not my mother." Sam shoved Puck over so he could sit down.

"Whatever. Look, I hate to break up this little love fest, but I've got a date tonight, unlike you little girls. Q always insists on low fat fro-yo. I can't stand the crap but, seeing me do something sweet for her always gets her in the mood. Later." Puck tossed the controller at Sam and pulled on his leather jacket, flipping the other guys off playfully before heading out the door.

"He flew out fast. You okay Finn? Fuckerman do something to piss you off?" Sam asked, confused at Puck's sudden exit. Mike snorted at Sam's insult to Puck and shoved a potato chip into his mouth.

"Uh nope. Don't think so." Artie said quickly, glancing over at Finn to see him huffing in annoyance.

"Yeah he's probably just really excited to get sex tonight. You know how he is. If he can just sneak a peak at some woman's breasts he's happy for the damn day." Mike chimed in. Finn sat in silence as he sipped his own beer.

"So Sam, Puck was telling me earlier that you have a date this weekend?" Mike asked, eager to change the subject and put a stop to the awkward silence.

"Yep. Her name is Mercedes. Really hot and curvy. Not to mention she has an amazing voice. She's a famous singer you know. She came here all the way from L.A to help promote her album and now she's thinking she's going to stay. Says she likes the vibe she's getting from New York." Sam explained happily.

"Nice." Artie high-fived a grinning Sam. They played a bit longer before Artie complained about needing to get back to his script. They other guys conceded, not knowing how to play a three way match. So Sam turned on Fox Sports and they munched on their snacks, chatting idly. Finn's phone beeped and he whipped it out of his pocket, ignoring the other guys who were currently debating about who looked sexier in a bikini; Meghan Fox or Hallie Berry.

_"Hey Finn, you want to come shopping with us? I know you need a new pair of sneakers after your 'friend' Puckerman let his girlfriends dog shit all over them. :P -K"_

_Finn sighed before texting back, "Ooh! Shopping with my obnoxious brother? No thks man. And who do u mean by 'us'? -F"_

His phone was quiet for a moment and Finn grabbed a double stuffed Oreo before Kurt answered, _"You **need** new shoes Finn. I refuse to be associated with the man who smells of animal shit! And I mean, Rachel and I. She needs some new tops because my eyes are getting tired of looking at that creepy unicorn adorned on her sweater. *_* -K"_

_"Her sweaters are adorable and u know it! Stop trying to change her Kurt. -F" _

_"Nice change of subject Sherlock. And I'm not trying to change her. Just give her a more adult look. She can still wear those creepy animal sweaters in the privacy of her own home. But a twenty four year old woman should be wearing more sexy and sophisticated clothing. -K" _

_"Whatever. At least let her pick out her own clothes this time. And I'm not going. I'm having fun with the guys. -F" _

_"You're going. I'll buy you a meal at Shake Shack you go... -K" _Damn him. Kurt knew burgers were his weakness. Especially those enormous, juicy burgers at Shake Shack.

_"Shit. Fine I'll go. Give me a time. -F"_

_"I find it ridiculously hilarious that I can sway you with the promise of food. Be at the apartment in half an hour. -K" _

_"Shut up. -F" _

_":P -K" _Finn huffed at his brothers text message. They really did know eachother too well.

Then he actually thought about what he'd just agreed to. He was going to have to see Rachel. After they'd barely been talking for weeks now. Man that was going to be awkward. _  
_

"I gotta go guys. Kurt wants to take me to get new shoes since Edgar crapped all over my converse the other day." Finn groaned in annoyance.

"Ooh sounds like fun. Good luck." Artie told him seriously.

"Thanks. I'll need it." Finn high fived all the guys before pulling his sweatshirt on and making his way over to the apartment. Kurt and Rachel were patiently waiting when he got there, deep in conversation about something Finn only caught the end of.

"I don't think he's gonna propose honey. I think you'd know if he was going to do something as drastic as that." Kurt said quietly to her. Finn felt like he'd been slapped in the face and punched in the gut several hundred times. S_he was thinking Andrew was going to propose?_

Finn walked in slowly, feeling lightheaded and definitely nauseous. "Oh hey Finn!" Kurt squeaked, standing up quickly. I'm just going to go get my bag and coat. Be right back." Kurt quickly walked out of the room.

"It was quiet for a moment before Rachel cleared her throat and spoke gently. "So how are you Finn?" She asked.

"I'm actually really great." _Lies. You missed her like fucking crazy._ "How about you?" He added to be polite, his mind still reeling at the possibility of her getting married. He was going to hurl.

"Good. Really good. I uh, I missed you Finn. We haven't really spoken in a while." She said bluntly.

"I like that you never beat around the bush." Finn smiled at her, desperately fighting his nausea. "But yeah. I really missed you too." He sat down next to her and swept hair away from her eyes. It was just too easy to be this way with her. It was almost like second nature to him.

"I'm sorry I've been so distant lately. I'm just going through a lot and it's driving me crazy. I've been stressed. I really didn't mean to explode at you the morning with Erica." She told him honestly. He felt like she wanted to say more, but her mouth shut firmly after that and she waited for him to reply.

"It's uh, fine, really. I've been kinda stressed lately too. I understand. I snapped at Blaine the other day for turning on the coffee machine while I was sleeping." Finn chuckled. "And uh, I just want you to know that I'm here to talk if you need me." He smiled at her, his stomach still twisting in knots because of her and Kurt's conversation minutes ago.

She grinned back silently for a moment before she suddenly just threw her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a tight hug. She buried her face in his neck and he reciprocated happily and buried his nose in her scent, his worries suddenly flying away as he held onto her for dear life.

"I'm so sorry Finn. God I missed you." She whispered warmly into his neck. Fuck everything. This felt so good. So fucking good his eyes closed in contentment. Why couldn't it feel this way with Erica? With any other woman that wasn't currently taken by another man?

"Fuck I missed you too baby." Finn whispered back into her hair, letting go of every other coherent thought. Her head lifted in surprise at the word 'baby'. Their eyes stared into each others and something affectionate passed across her face as she tightened her arms around his neck. The urge to kiss her pouty lips was becoming too great to ignore. She stared up at him through her lashes and he visibly gulped. It felt like minutes just flew past as he rubbed his thumbs over her clothing hips and she curled the hair at the back of his neck within her fingers. Before he knew it, her eyes had closed dreamily as if she was anticipating him kissing her. He couldn't breathe and was just about ready to lean in and plant a lovingly kiss on her plump lips, when, naturally, they were interrupted.

"You guys ready?" Kurt's voice from within the hall made them pull apart quickly, and they both blushed before standing up. Rachel cleared her throat and smoothed out her jeans.

Finn needed something to keep his hands busy so he grabbed her coat and held it out to her. He helped Rachel slip her arms into her coat and she smiled gratefully at him, her cheeks still a beautiful pink color.

"You guys okay?" Kurt asked, suspiciously eyeing their blushing faces.

"Yep. Never better." Rachel smiled cheerfully.

"Oh okay. It just seemed like, for a while, you two were avoiding each other." Kurt pointed out. Damn. He didn't miss a thing.

Finn covered up with a chuckle, "Nah. I have no idea what you're talking about Kurt. We've just been really busy and haven't really had any time to hang out or anything." Finn told him.

"Yeah. You're being paranoid." Rachel pinched Kurt's cheek and linked her arm with his. "Now lets go! Momma needs some new tops." Rachel said happily, her smile brightening the entire room. Kurt chuckled.

"Let's go Finn. Why'd you take your shoes off?" Kurt tapped his foot impatiently at his brother.

"Oh uh, sorry." Finn grinned, unable to keep his eyes off of Rachel. He felt giddy. She was totally going to let him kiss her. Maybe she really did feel the same way he did.

Kurt waited impatiently as usual as Finn slipped on his shoes.

"God those things are disgusting. I cannot wait to get you a new pair." Kurt shuddered as he dragged Rachel to the door. She turned her head and smiled at him. He followed like a lost puppy, delighted at this sudden turn of events, her and Kurt's conversation immediately flying out the window.

"So we could go to Barney's and Macy's for Rachel. And Famous Footwear for you Finn! They have lots of those sports type shoes you like." Kurt clapped his hands together happily.

"Oh Kurt! You don't mind if Santana comes along do you?" Rachel asked suddenly as if she was just remembering. "I have to text to her the location of our first stop." She added.

Kurt waved his hand, "Of course not. She has a good sense of style. Maybe she can give me some of her input when we pick out clothes for you. Tell her we're going to Starbucks first. You know I can't go shopping withour my salted caramel latte." Kurt smiled at her.

"Goodie." Rachel giggled as Kurt pulled her out the door, Finn trailing behind.

"Who's Santana?" Finn asked as they made their downstairs and onto the sidewalk.

"She's a woman I met at the diner. She's kinda harsh sometimes but she's great. And she loves singing too. Said she hated the thought of it in high school, but New York has changed her. You'll like her." Rachel turned her head and looked at him, her smile widening as his own lips turned up in a half smile at her.

"She dresses a little skimpy sometimes, but her style choice is very admirable." Kurt added. That's what Kurt focuses on? Finn rolled his eyes, making Rachel giggle.

"What is so funny you two?" Kurt asked suspiciously, looking back at Finn's stupid looking grin.

"Nothing." Finn responded quickly. Rachel blushed and shot Finn a smile. The air between them felt hot and every time they looked at each other it felt more foggy.

They stopped by the nearest Starbucks and Kurt went to the front of the shop to order while Finn and Rachel stayed by the door to wait for her friend Santana. "So it's great that you finally found a girlfriend Rach. I know you've been wanting one for a while." Finn leaned into her and smiled at her shyly.

"Well, she's quite amazing. It's kind of uncomfortable when she hits on me, but it's still flattering." Rachel said matter-of-factly.

"S-she, she hit's on you?" Finn stuttered, his mind momentarily focused on the blush that spread across her face and upper chest. His eyes stared her down.

"Yes. She's a lesbian. Her and her girlfriend Brittany live together in a small apartment not too far from the diner. Brittany is a kindergarten teacher. She's a little daft but so very sweet. And oddly enough, she's like, a super genius when it comes to numbers. So I think Santana said something about her going back to school to become some math professor." Rachel smiled at him.

"That's pretty awesome and uh, sorta weird." Finn chucked. "They sound really great though. I can't wait to meet Santana." Finn stepped closer to her and whispered in her ear, "You look really beautiful today, by the way."

She looked up at him in surprise. "T-thank you Finn." She said, her cheeks flaming as she batted her eyelashes up at him. "So... This morning." She started shyly.

"Yeah this morning was interesting, and uh great. Like, really great." Finn rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"That-uh, almost k-kiss." She whispered. This was terrifying awkward but it just seemed so _them_. Awkward but sweet.

"I, yeah. That was um.." Finn stammered. Sometimes he forgets Rachel doesn't like to beat around the bush.

"What was it? Was it an I'm sorry for the fight, or something... More?" She asked self consciously. Finn had just opened his mouth when Kurt came over, waving and saying hello to someone behind Rachel and Finn. Finn wanted so badly to glare at his brother and shove that hot coffee in his face. Rachel turned sideways to see behind her and noticed Santana smirking at her.

"We'll talk later." She whispered up at him, her smile calming him a little.

"Hello Chica. This the jolly green giant you've told me about?" Santana grinned at Rachel, giving her a hug and kissing her cheek before waving over at Kurt. "Lady Hummel." She nodded at him.

"Yes, this is my friend and Kurt's brother Finn Hudson. Finn, this is Santana." Rachel introduced her two friends. Santana had her shiny black hair tied in a tight ponytail behind her that sashayed as she walked in her black jeans and leather jacket. She had lips that were shining with lipgloss and she had a 'don't fuck with me' kind of air about her.

"Nice to meet you. Rachel's told me a lot about you." Santana smirked as she shook his hand.

"All good things I hope." Finn smiled back nervously.

"Oh yeah." Santana smirked again, her eyes trailing down his entire body. Rachel's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed.

"Santana." She hissed, slapping her friends arm quickly to which the Latina merely shrugged nonchalantly.

"Let's go before Berry goes up in flames with embarassment." Santana chuckled.

"Awesome. I'm so ready to get my shopping on." Kurt squealed happily as he linked arms with Rachel yet again, leaving Finn trailing behind with Santana.

"So you're the famous Finn Hudson." Santana stated as they walked behind Kurt and Rachel who were talking animatedly about something.

"Yep. Thats me." Finn smiled at her.

"She talks about you a lot you know. I thought you were the guy she was boning at first. Then she told me it was some goon named Andrew. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I swear to god, she talks about you almost eveytime we go out together. It's always, 'oh Finn's was so sweet', or 'Finn did this, Finn did that'." Santana mocked. "It annoyed me at first, but she's such a sweet girl so I just learned to deal with it. Well, when she's not being a crazy diva" Santana added.

"Does she really talk about me that much?" Finn asked through a hoarse voice. This newfound information he was getting from Santana was making him overly excited. Why was all this coming out now? When he had a girlfriend? All he'd wanted for years was just to be with her. Then the moment he decides to try and move on, he slowly starts getting info about her feelings for him. And that almost kiss? It was replaying over in his mind again and again.

"Yes she does. And I just need to know, how do you feel about her?" Santana asked bluntly.

"She's my best friend." Finn stuttered out. Santana just raised her eyebrows.

"I'll let you slide this time gigantor. But only because the midget is standing right there. She may like him but I've met that douche Andrew. He's too cocky for his own good and he gives me a bad feeling. Just wath out for her." Santana pulled out a strip of gum and slid it into her mouth, silently offering Finn a piece. He shook his head and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I always do." He sighed, his eyes drilling holes into the back of Rachel's silky hair. They all ended up on one of the ahopping strips of Brooklyn and Kurt stopped for a money so they could get settled.

"Okay, so Santana will take Rachel to go get her new lingerie.." Kurt started and Rachel slapped his arm before he could get out anything else.

"Kurt." She hissed, embarrassed as she glanced at Finn out of the corner of her eye. He tried to fight the smile that was making it's way onto his face, picturing Rachel in pink, lacy lingerie.

"Oh we're all friends here Rachel, don't be embarrassed." He waved at her and continued, "Now Santana will be with Rachel and I will take Finn to get his shoes. Them we'll all meet up at Barney's okay?" Kurt clapped his hands together and pulled on the sleeve of Finn's sweatshirt. Finn staggered over his own feet as he stared at Rachel who sent him a small wave as Santana dragged her in the opposite direction.

Shoe shopping was boring as predicted. Kurt dragged him through rows and rows of tennis shoes. He made him try on several pairs, just to make sure the size he was wearing really was the perfect choice for him. Then Kurt had to make sure the color he chose worked well with his skin tone, ruling out yellow, green, and orange.

Finn seriously wanted to stuff his head into a hole by the one hour mark. "Kurt, you totally owe me an entire combo at the Shake Shack after this." Finn told him as they payed for his black and blue Nike's.

"Yeah yeah. Your garbage pit of a stomach will be fed shortly after we shop alright?" Kurt retorted.

"Can't I go get it while you, Rach, and Santana shop for her tops? Please." Finn pleaded as Kurt passed him his bag.

"Fine. So how are you and Erica doing? I would suggest you're doing well considering the sounds I heard coming from your room last night." Kurt shuddered.

"Yeah we're good." Finn answered desperately trying not to sound bored. Cause in reality, Erica was hot, but Finn really didn't feel like he couldn't live without her. There was only one woman he felt that way for.

"She seems quite enamored with you. Though it's really hard for me not to comment on her bleached hair. And she seems a little daft, if not a sweetie." Kurt observed, leading Finn across the street, Barney's nearly in their sight.

"Yeah I guess." Finn shrugged.

"Look Finn, I'm going to be honest with you. You don't seem like you're very pumped about this relationship. Whatever you do with her, please be respectful okay? Carole and dad taught us to always respect and be kind to the people we're with. Even if we have to be cruel to be kind. So if you don't want to be with her, please break it off." Kurt told him sternly.

Finn nodded his head and felt guilt pool in his stomach. He wasn't being fair at all. Erica was a perfectly amazing person and didn't deserve to be used like Finn was currently doing. He just fucking needed to know what was going on with he and Rachel. That in itself what confusing the crap out of him. Did she like him too? Was she just a really affectionate person? What the fuck was going on? He just really needed to know for his own sanity.

He and Kurt arrived at Barney's and immediately spotted Santana and Rachel flipping through the racks at the front. "I'm here ladies! Let's get our baby Berry into some adult clothes finally." Kurt was nearly hopping up and down in his spot next to Rachel.

"Guess I'll see you guys at home?" Finn said with his hands in his pockets patiently waiting for Kurt to hand him some money for food.

"Where are you going?" Rachel asked, slight disappointed in her voice.

"Oh, I promised him food if he came to get new shoes. Totally worth it, now he won't walk around smelling like dog poop." Kurt interjected. "So you and Erica are still coming to dinner tonight right? It is Sebastian's birthday after all." Kurt added, placing a short skirt up against Rachel hips and thighs, seeing how it looked on her.

"Um yeah. I guess." Finn said looking at Rachel who turned away from him at the mention of Erica. She stopped looking at him in the eyes and turned to Santana after Kurt put the skirt back on the rack.

"Fabulous. I'll see you there then. Don't forget to wear a suit. We're going to a nice restaurant and you will not show up looking like one of the Beverly Hillbillies." Kurt warned, Finn nodded and said his goodbyes to the trio. Santana lifted one hand in a simple wave and Rachel didn't say a word.

God, what was with women? She changed moods like the flip of a switch. Finn sighed in frustration and backed out the door, making his way down the sidewalk and towards the restaurant. He quickly ordered his food and sipped his chocolate shake as he hailed a taxi and slipped in, giving the driver instructions and staring out the window.

His mind traveled to the one thought he knew should be banished from his mind given he was with Erica; Rachel's curvaceous ass. God it looked good in those jeans. So tight and firm and stretched and just _sexy_. He could feel drool coming to the front of his lip as his mind conjured up images upon images of Rachel's cute little butt in different colored jeans. The cab stopped abruptly and his face smacked into the window.

"Ow." Finn rubbed his head in embarassment as the cab driver turned his head slightly to the right.

"Here we are." He said nonchalantly, picking a spot on his chin as he waited for Finn to pay him.

"Right. Uh, thanks." Finn grumbled, handing the man some money and stepping out. Before exiting Barney's he'd thought about heading to gamestop or something. But after thinking about the stupid dinner tonight, he decided just to grab some food and head back to the apartment. When he got there however, Erica was there waiting by the door.

"Hey uh, babe. What are you doing here?" He asked, holding the handle of his food bag in his mouth, avoiding Erica's eyes and digging around in his pocket for his keys. He pulled them out and unlocked the door. She followed him in happily.

"I thought I'd surprise you before the dinner. I wanted to help you pick out your suit!" Erica said excitedly, her blonde hair bouncing behind her as she sat on Finn's lap the moment his butt hit the couch.

"Oh awesome." Finn said, trying to sound enthused. "But babe? Please play nice tonight okay? I don't know why you don't like Rachel very much, but she's important to me okay? She's one of my best friends." Finn told her as he munched on his burger, Erica looking at him disapprovingly.

"First of all, please eat with your mouth closed, I don't want to see that cow rolling around in your mouth." She chuckled slightly. "And secondly, I can't help it if she irks me. You guys are _too_ close in my opinion. I mean, I'm most defintely not that affectionate with any of my guy friends."

"We've known eachother since like, kindergarten. Of course we're gonna be close. But you're my girlfriend okay?" Finn appeased her. He felt sooo bad. Here was this beautiful woman who obviously cared about him and what does he do? He nearly kisses his best friend and literally cannot stop thinking about her.

Maybe he hadn't really given Erica a chance? Rachel may have almost kissed him, but the fact of the matter was, she still had a boyfriend. A boyfriend she'd been with for two years. She could've just gotten caught up in the moment and felt the waves of lust radiating off Finn.

Nothing was really going to be solved until he and Rachel talked though. That would really tell him what she was feeling. That would determine whether or not he'd give up on the idea of them as a couple.

Erica sighed. "I know I'm being that overly jealous girlfriend. But you can't blame me, you two are close than most opposite sex friends typically are. But I'll try and play nice tonight, for you. Now whose birthday is tonight?" She asked, her fingers stroking the warm skin of Finn's neck.

"That's all I ask. And it's Sebastian's. He turned twenty four today. We're probably just gonna eat and Blaine will give him our card with our combined cash and we'll be on our way. Sebastian doesn't like to make a big deal out of his birthday. Says he doesn't like to think about how much closer he's inching towards death." Finn said, gulping down his shake and resting his arm across Erica's lower hip as she continued to sit on his lap.

"That's morbid." Erica said.

"That's Sebastian." Finn chuckled at Erica's weird look. He crumbled up his garbage and put it on the side table.

"Finally." Erica mumbled as she glued their lips together, Finn taking a minute to respond, having been caught off guard. Hey, he was a guy, if Erica wanted to make out, he was certainly not opposed to that. They fell backwards on the couch, lips locked in a sensual embrace.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Finn and Erica made their way out of the taxi and through the packed New York streets, heading towards the restaurant they were meeting everyone else. Erica had stuffed him into some ugly penguin suit. She and Kurt told him that pinstripes worked well with his complexion. (Whatever the hell that meant). Erica was wearing a simple (but short and slutty) black dress with her blonde hair cascading down her shoulders. "C'mon Finny. We don't want to be late. I will not be the one couple that's late." Erica said quickly. He followed like a good puppy and quickened his stride a bit.

They arrived at the restaurant and asked for the Hummel reservation. The waiter led him and Erica to the joined table where Kurt, Will, Rachel, Andrew, Blaine, and Sebastian were already sitting.

"Dammit. Maybe if you hadn't taken that twenty minute crap before we left, we wouldn't be the last ones here." Erica hissed at him as he pulled out her chair for her before sitting down next to her and Kurt. His eyes scanned the rest of his friends.

He chuckled a bit as he eyed Blaine's flamboyant yellow suit and navy blue bowtie. Sebastian had on his own dapper black suit and red tie, sipping his white wine delicately. He and his boyfriend had broken up a week earlier so he and Blaine were unofficial partners for all their 'group dates'.

Kurt was wearing a light blue suit and purple underneath. While Will had a dark blue suit with green underneath.

Andrew the douche was wearing a black suit and blue tie. Then Rachel caught his eye and it was like all the oxygen was sucked from the room. She was wearing a gorgeous black and silver dress with her long dark hair curling just at the tops of her breasts, her bangs straightened and swept to the side. The silver at the bottom was sparkling in the light of the restaurant. He sighed as they made eye contact and she quickly looked away.

His eyes swept down the soft curves of her breasts and his tongue fell to the front of his mouth. They weren't big and fake like Erica's, but they were firm and perfect. He could tell. Erica smacked his arm and he snapped out of his trance. "We ordered you guys some water, we weren't sure when you'd be here." Kurt said as he perused through the menu. Finn nodded and thanked him for both his and Erica's water.

The meal passed without much disturbance of any kind and by the end, all the couples were talking amongst themselves as they waited for dessert. Finn's stomach ached as he watched Andrew whisper things into Rachel's ear, making her giggle. The thought of Andrew possibly proposing coming whooshing back into Finn's brain, making the Swiss burger he just feel like it was going to come back up. He glanced at Erica who was busy complaining about the outfits of the other patrons, pointing out what she claimed "crimes of fashion".

"It's such a soft fabric though." Kurt said proudly as he explained the material of his suit to Sebastian, Will and Blaine.

"I don't think the colors go very well together." Erica commented as she sipped her red wine and licked her stained lips. Finn eyes bugged out his head and he choked on his own wine. There were three things you didn't critique Kurt about; fashion, Harry Potter and broadway.

"Excuse me?" Kurt asked through narrowed eyes. Finn could tell that any friendship between Kurt and his girlfriend was dead right there.

"That color of purple with that color of blue is totally tacky. Everyone knows that." Erica said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'll have you know that I have a career in fashion. So I think I know a bit more than you about what's in and whats not. Besides, I'm not going to take advice from some tanned bitch who dyes her hair." Kurt snapped angrily. Erica opened her mouth to retort before Blaine intervened. Everyone else had abandoned their own conversations and were watching the little fight like a tennis match.

"So why were you guys late? You have a late night at work Erica?" Blaine asked quickly. Kurt's eyes throwing daggers at her as Will tried to calm his boyfriend. Sebastian started a conversation with Kurt and Will quickly, trying to keep Kurt from saying something he'd regret.

"Finn and I were um. Busy. If you know what I mean." Erica smiled coyly and squeezed a flaming Finn's arm before capturing his lips in hers and shoving her tongue down his throat. Andrew chuckled and Rachel sat up in her seat quickly.

"Babe, where are you going?" Andrew asked confusedly, grabbing her hand. Finn broke apart from Erica with and she continued leaning forward, falling into his neck and giggling the whole time. Finn looked worriedly at Rachel's figure as she tried to smile at Andrew.

"I just uh, need some fresh air. My stomach is hurting. I think it was the food." She lied quickly, running a hand through her hair and caressing Andrew's cheek.

"You need me to come out there with you? You do look a little green." Andrew asked.

"No babe I'm fine thank you." Rachel kissed his cheek and practically bolted out the door. Kurt stood up to go after her before Finn stopped him.

"No! I mean, um, I'll go talk to her." Finn said, getting up himself and ignoring the knowing stares from Blaine and Sebastian. As well as the angry looks from Andrew and Erica.

"Shes my girlfriend man." Andrew spat at him.

"Yeah well she said she didn't want you out there. Maybe it has to do with you. I am one of her best friends." Finn spit back, shoving his chair harshly into the table. Andrew scowled at him as he turned on his heel and headed to the door.

He swung open the door and was met with the freezing October air. How it was already this cold was beyond him. He could see some pumpkins in local stores with some light frost over them.

He turned his head and saw Rachel was leaning against the building, running her hand over her face and blowing her nose. "Rach." He said weakly, walking over to her. She looked up quickly and turned away.

"Go away Finn." She said quickly, and he could tell she had a stuffy nose, whether it was from crying or not he didn't know.

"Rachel c'mon." He tried reaching for her hand.

"No. Stop Finn, please just go back inside. I'll be there in a few minutes okay?" Rachel pleaded, wiping her eyes again.

"I'm not leaving until you stop pushing me away. Please talk to me. I know we haven't been talking much lately. But you're still my best friend. I need you to talk to me." Finn couldn't help but come up to her and wrap his arms around her waist. She didn't resist, but responded immediately and buried her face in his neck.

"I'm so sorry I've been upset with you and then being nice to you, and then being crazy again. I swear I'm not bipolar. I don't know whats come over me. I've had so much on my plate lately. With the show, and Andrew, and work. I just, I'm feeling more than a little overwhelmed with everything." She cried into his chest. Finn pulled away from her gently and looked into her eyes, rubbing his thumbs over her cheeks.

"Tell me. Why have you been upset with me? I know it's not just stress. We've been fighting a lot lately and I know when you're upset with me Rach." Finn whispered, his heart beating wildly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and craned her own to look up at him.

"I don't..." She tried, failing to be nonchalant about it.

"Rachel." Finn interrupted her shakily. This was the moment. If he didn't ask it now, he may never get to again. They were supposed to talk later right? "Were-were you jealous of what happened in there?" He asked quietly. He really tried to stop his voice from shaking, but it was near impossible.

"I-I can't, I mean I.. I'm just so sorry Finn." She started to sob now, her little hands balled up into fist and resting against his shirt. All other coherent thoughts left his mind as he stared down at Rachel's sobbing form.

"What are you sorry for?" He asked quietly, just now noticing all the people around them and pulling her into the side alley.

"Nothing. Okay, nothing. Let's just forget all of this and go back inside please. I don't want to talk about it. Please." Rachel begged. Finn sighed, getting frustrated. Why couldn't they just talk to each other?

"Just tell me Rachel. I don't want to do this. Where we continuously just go ariu d circles with each other. We wanted to talk about what almost happened between us this morning so let's talk please. This is ridiculous!" Finn said desperately, he didn't want to sound annoyed but knew by the look on Rachel's face that that's how he came across.

She was silent and wouldn't look at him for a few momeets before Finn snapped. Ne gripped her face in his hands and shook her face. "Please baby just tell me!" He tried keeping his voice down as he noticed a man stare suspiciously at them as he walked past them.

"I'm sorry for feeling this way dammit! I hate it. I tried so hard to keep from feeling this way but I can't! Especially after you started dating that trollop. I just had such a hard time not slapping her. But I know it's not fair. Because I'm with Andrew, but I just love you so much. And this morning? When I thought you were going to kiss me, I thought I was going to explode. I wanted it so much. I wanted to feel you so much. But I'm so selfish!" She cried hysterically. She said all of this so fast that Finn felt lightheaded and slightly sick.

"Rach baby. You don't have to feel sorry about it. I love you too. I've loved you for so long. God I love you so much." Finn whispered lovingly, changing tactics completely and feeling like he was short of breath. He was breathing like he'd just run a freakin marathon and felt like all his feelings were surfacing quicker than he'd ever expected. And he couldn't believe she was just letting all this out now. She snapped her head to look up at him as his words registered with her. Her big brown eyes were red and watery, her lips as plump as ever, and her hands had tightened her grip on him. He'd never seen anyone more beautiful in his entire life.

"Really?" She whispered, her warm breath blowing against his face, her eyes shining with tears as she awaited his reply.

"Really. I thought I was the only one who felt that way." Finn watched his own hand weave it's way through her hair before locking his eyes back into hers. She hiccuped and swiped her left hand under nose.

"I've felt this way since high school." She said quietly, her stuffy nose and watery eyes making him feel like he was having an out of body experience.

"Oh god, me too." He whispered back, his hand now running down the length of her warm neck.

"So is that what that almost kiss was this morning?" She asked.

"Yeah. I think so. It had just been horrible to try and love without you. And you just looked so damn beautiful, I couldn't help myself." He ran his thumb across the apple of her cheek.

"I'm sorry about Andrew. Is that why you don't like him? Because of how you feel?" She whispered as she closed her eyes at his touch.

He nodded his head before he spoke. "Yeah. That's exactly how why actually. I just never thought you felt the same. I mean, you've always acted the same with Kurt that you do with me. I never saw it as something more just because I'm straight, that would be a bit presumptuous." He wanted to kiss her so bad. So fucking bad it was physically hurting him. Her eyes were closing in anticipation. She was right there. She was his for the taking. So why couldn't he do it?

"God I want to kiss you right now. You have no fucking idea baby." Finn whispered painfully, actually feeling like his heart was splitting in two at the sight of her eyes immediately shooting downwards. He was fighting an internal battle that was completely relentless. "But we're both in a relationship right now. I can't do that to Erica. And I know you'd regret cheating on Andrew like that." Finn summoned courage he didn't even know he had to lift her chin so she'd look into his eyes.

"So you don't want me?" She asked, hurtfully with a tinge of annoyance in her voice.

"What? No, I do! I want you so fucking bad. I mean, I just, it's not right. Now at this time." Finn sighed frustratedly, not even knowing what he was trying to say. "I think we should let out respective relationships run their course, you know. Just dropping Andrew and Erica like they were nothing would be a horrible thing to do. And I-" Finn trailed off, the sight of fresh tears returning to her eyes making him feel like someone had just stabbed a knife in him, only to twist it painfully several times.

"You like her." She confirmed sadly and she completely deflated, looking like she was giving up on whatever internal war she was having inside her. "Guess I was too little, too late huh?" She pulled away and Finn wanted to fucking cry and pull her little body back into his, never letting her go. But he was hurting himself, and more importantly, he was hurting her. He didn't even know what he was doing anymore.

It was guilt. He felt bad for Erica and he didn't want Rachel to resent him if she ever cheated on Andrew. A guy she'd been with for years. A guy that supposedly wanted to propose to her.

And even though the thought of her walking down the aisle to marry another man made him want to jump off a cliff into a pit of sharp rocks, he couldn't do this. Not after finally beginning to get over her. Not after spending weeks in another woman's arms just so he could get over her. It was actually really unfair. He starts to get over her the moment she confesses her feelings for him. It was quite fucked up really. He felt his whole attitude towards this whole thing change within seconds, his own mind conjuring up things he'd never thought of before. Like their talk had triggered something in his head and the train of thought couldn't be stopped.

"Yeah I do. I mean, when she's not being a bitch, she's actually really sweet. And sometimes we'll-" Finn rambled. Rachel put her hands up.

"I don't want to hear this please. I just- Can we not talk about that?" She asked through a choked voice, wiping her eyes. Finn nodded silently feeling like an idiot and watched as she checked her face in her compact mirror. She wiped her eyes again.

"Let's just go in there and act like this never happened." She instructed, sounding like she talking more to herself. She sniffled again and ran a hand through her hair. Finn felt lightheaded and super awkward now, shaking his head. He had wanted her for so long and now he was turning her down. Was he fucking head case? This internal war he had was ripping him to pieces. Maybe _he_ was bipolar.

"You know I love you right?" Finn blurted quickly as she put on her acting face and prepared to go back into the restaurant.

"Dont you dare do that. Don't treat me like you pity me. I guess it isn't enough though, is it?" She asked sadly before walking a few steps, immediately turning around and pointed an accusing finger in his face, "You know, what I dont get it is how you can claim to love me but turn me away so easily. This is exactly what I was afraid was gling to happen. I just hope our friendship can survive this, because I've never thought of you as the guy that could be so careless with my feelings. Guess I was wrong about that too huh?" She spat angrily.

Finn looked taken aback before she shot him a hurt look, pushing past him and heading through the door. He watched her go, his heart thumping painfully in his chest. He didn't even feel this much pain when she got together with Andrew. Why did all of their conversations end up with her angry at him? He thought he was doing the gentlemanly thing.

One part of him was starting to get over her while the larger part just wanted her back in his arms. He was so torn and felt like every decision he was making was the wrong one.

But now, he watched through the window as she kissed Andrew and glared at him through the wkndow, he knew this was much worse than when she first got together with Andrew. Now he knew she loved him too. And he'd just turned her down. Sure, he really liked Erica. But was it foolish of him to turn down the only woman he'd ever really loved? Probably. Actually, it totally was and he wanted to throw himself in front of a taxi right now.

He wiped his own dripping eyes on his sleeve and walked back in. Not sure if he could face being in Rachel's presence without leaping across the table and kissing the hell out of her.

He felt like all the progress he'd made the past few weeks had been shot to hell in a matter of seconds. He sneaked a glance at her to see her deep in conversation with Andrew, her hand on his arm as she leaned against him. Like nothing had even happened between her and Finn. She was obviously putting her acting skills to good use, he could totally see the sadness in her eyes. It all made his heart ache with jealously and longing.

Erica placed a sweet kiss on his cheek and he forced a smile at her, noticing Rachel's eyes flicker towards them for the shortest of moments before moving away, her head returning to Andrew's shoulder. Blaine was sitting there looking thoroughly confused at Finn. Sebastian looked completely drunk off his ass and Kurt was currently sending sex eyes to Will.

"Well we are going to head home. I have a big day tomorrow. Traveling to Las Vegas for a big training session. Something about a new rule being added into how trials will run in the future. Pretty big stuff." Andrew smiled at the group.

"I won't see him for about week, so I'm going to stay with him tonight okay Blaine?" Rachel kissed Blaine's cheek and he nodded. She kissed Sebastian (who was grinning like a drunk idiot), Kurt, and Will before coming to Finn.

Visible hurt passed her features before she leaned down and gave him a very stiff hug. He desperately wanted to squeeze her as tight as possible to him and apologize for being such a jerk, but the hug didn't last long. His heart broke in two as she pulled away without even looking at him and she grabbed Andrews hand, pulling him away quickly. Andrew gave the group a smirk as his hand cupped her hip, Will sending him a thumbs up.

Finn downed his wine, needing to get his mind off what they were probably going to go to do. It's not like he and Erica were celibate. But it still hurt like a motherfucker. They group slowly dissipated before it was just Finn, Erica, and Blaine.

Blaine knew he couldn't talk to Finn right now, but he still sent Finn knowing glances, he knew something had gone down between Rachel and him. Sure enough, as the three got into the cab together, Finn's phone beeped with a text.

_"I kno somethin happened between u and R. U better tell me later. U and R both looked completely defeated when u came back inside! -B"_

_"I know don't worry, I will man. But Erica is right here and I really want to tell u in person. -F"_

_"Alright. You kno I won't be able to sleep now. I live for all this gossip! ;)-B" _

_"Yeah yeah. You'll get your gossip tomorrow Frodo.-F" _

Blaine laughed out loud and sent back a smiley text before biding them goodnight and heading up to his apartment. Erica laid her head on Finn's shoulder and Finn felt his stomach drop a bit. Try as he might, he couldn't help but feel like this was the wrong head on his shoulder. It should be Rachel. But of course, being the idiot he was, he turned Rachel down. He fucking turned her down and he just knew that in his heart of hearts, he was going to regret doing so. Because the problem was that he still wanted her more than ever he ever had before. He never knew how complicated life could really be.

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***Sigh* Another happy end to a chapter I know lol. I promise the next one will end up a little happier lol. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, the response to this story has baffled me. I'm so happy you guys love this story so much. Seeing over twenty new reviews pop up on my screen really makes it easier to pop these chapters out. Thank you all soooo much. I really can't thank you enough for supporting this story. Remember: Reviews are always love :)**

**We Love Cory Monteith!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything related. They belong to FOX and the Glee writers/creators. **

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"And you just, told her you didn't want to do it?" Blaine asked incredulously as he paced the living room of his and Rachel's apartment. Finn, who was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands, lifted his head to speak.

"I didn't say, I didn't want to do anything. I just said we should figure out what we're doing with Erica and Andrew first." Finn responded sadly. He'd felt like shit ever since that night at the restaurant, when he had stupidly turned Rachel downed after they'd both declared their love for one another.

"Well Finn. I'm torn between patting you on the back for being such a gentleman, and wanting to smack you upside the head for being such a dumbass and letting her go." Blaine paced some more.

"Look, she would've regretted cheating on Andrew. And who would she have blamed? Me. Why do you care so much anyways?" Finn grumbled, standing up and going to the fridge to grab a beer.

Blaine followed him into the kitchen. "I'm not in a relationship and I'm too scared to dive into one. So I'm going to live off you and your relationship troubles." Blaine half chuckled. "Maybe you didn't have to kiss her. You could've asked her what she wanted to do instead of just turning her down completely. Granted, I do think she overreacted a bit. But it is Rachel, we can't really expect anything less." Blaine grabbed a coke and followed Finn as he shuffled back into the living room.

"I just don't know what to do now. Do I try to talk to her? Let her stew for a while? I wish I'd never told her how I felt. This is what I was afraid of in the beginning. When I told her we should stay with other significant others, all I was thinking about is what would have happened if Erica or Andrew had walked in on us. I mean, we were right outside the restaurant. All they would have had to do is turned a corner. How shitty would that have made them feel? To see me and Rachel in each others arms. I can't do that to someone, no matter how much I hate them." Finn gulped down his beer in between his explanation.

"I'd say let her calm down for a while. When Rachel is angry, she definitely holds a grudge. Just see how she reacts when she's around you. Should be pretty easy now that Andrew is gone for the week. And better yet, it's only gonna be you, Rachel, and Kurt for Thanksgiving this weekend right?" Blaine asked cheerfully.

"Yeah. You're right. Will is going to go see his parents in Colorado, and Sebastian is going to his family's reunion in Indiana." Finn smiled slightly. "I'm gonna miss you though." Finn added.

"What about your new friends?" Blaine asked with a smile.

"Artie and Puck are going home to see their families. And Mike is going to go see Tina's parents in Ohio. As much as I love Rachel and Kurt, this won't exactly be the best holiday for me. Stuck with my annoying brother and best friend who is furious with me? No thanks." Finn said.

"What about that Sam guy?" Blaine went on.

"Oh I don't know. I'm not sure if he has the money to go see his parents in Kentucky." Finn shrugged, Sam's thanksgiving plans were the least of his worries right now.

"And uh, what about Erica?" Blaine asked cautiously.

"She's going to see her dad in Reno. Her mom isn't around so it's just her and her dad. She asked me if I wanted to go but I told her I should stay with Kurt, since mom and dad are taking that Vacation to Italy." Finn told Blaine. He felt a little ashamed that he didn't feel like he'd miss Erica too much.

"They are so lucky." Blaine added.

"I know. Guess their vacation jar finally paid off. It's about freakin time too, they started that jar like two years ago." Finn chuckled.

"Maybe I should start a jar. I've always wanted to go to Italy. Its so beautiful and romantic." Blaine sighed wistfully.

"Marry a rich man then." Finn chuckled, propping his feet on the coffee table.

"Believe me, I wish I could stay here and hang with you guys. But Cooper is coming home from L.A. So I'll be treated to the wonderful stories of how successful my big brother is. Yippie." Blaine said unenthusiastically.

"So don't go." Finn chuckled, bringing the bottle to his lips.

"My parents want to see how their little Blainey is doing in New York. They just don't want me to feel bad." Blaine rolled his eyes.

"Well good luck man. Cooper is not so bad though. Once you get passed his overdramatic behavior and self righteousness." Finn laughed, relieved to be talking about something that didn't involved his fucked up love life.

"Yeah but you didn't have to live with him. He always tries to give me 'tips'. Like being a broadway actor is exactly the same as a Hollywood actor. It's totally different, but he insists on telling me what Broadway directors typically look for in their leads." Blaine rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his curls.

"He can't be that bad can he?" Finn laughed.

"Oh no he is. I'll prove it to you too. I'll somehow capture the essence of what its like to listen to Cooper Anderson." Blaine pointed his finger at him. Finn put his hands up in mock defeat.

"Alright man I get it." Finn smiled at Blaine and sipped his beer. They were silent for a few minutes as they watched the soccer game on tv. Blaine got up after Brazil scored yet again.

"Well I gotta go finish packing. I'm almost done and I have to catch the subway down to the Central station in about an hour. My first time taking a train. It'll be like taking the Hogwarts Express." Blaine grinned and disappeared down the hall.

"Seriously man, what am I going to do without you? I'm gonna be stuck with Kurt, and a scorned woman. That actually sounds like the worst Thanksgiving weekend ever. And that includes the time my mom asked me to watch the turkey while she went out to get cranberry. I seriously don't know how it exploded in the oven." Finn grumbled. Not ready to stop his complaining, he got up and quickly followed Blaine to his room.

"I'll be a phone call away. Besides, you're still friends right? It shouldn't be that awkward." Blaine asked, folding a cardigan and tucking into his suitcase.

"I guess. I don't even know to be honest. She just seemed so pissed. I wish I could make her see I did it for her. I don't want her to feel like a cheater. I don't want to feel like a cheater." Finn plopped himself on Blaine's computer chair and twirled in it.

"Then tell her that. She probably just saw it as you being an insensitive guy, it's not like it would be her first time being treated like shit by some guy. You remember Brody?" Blaine pointed out.

Oh boy did he. Brody Weston was the biggest asshole he'd ever met. Rachel met him during her freshman year dance class at NYADA. Not only did he look like a plastic ken doll _and_ a donkey at the same time, but he turned out to be a Gigolo. Like, he actually got paid to sleep with women. It was disgusting and at the end of the relationship, Rachel was afraid she might have an STD. Thankfully, she didn't.

And if that wasn't enough, he was the biggest poser in the world. He acted like he was a gift from god and like his 3% body fat meant he could act like he was sexier than Brad Pitt. Rachel was in awe of him at first, being a good looking, and successful dancer. But she soon saw him for what he really was; a machonsinistic jerk with a sickening job. It was safe to say that he, Kurt, Blaine, and Sebastian were a little more than relieved when that ended.

"Of course I remember that dickwad. But we aren't even in the same boat. And frankly, I'm sort of insulted that you would compare to a guy that was that big of asshole." Finn stopped spinning and glared at Blaine.

"I'm not saying the situations are at all similar. Just that it's not exactly uncommon for guys to treat women like a prize or like shit. Not that you did. But that's how Rachel could have perceived it as; you playing with her feelings just because you could." Blaine explained quickly, afraid of a Finn outburst. Finn had _really really_ hated Brody.

Finn calmed down a bit. "Sorry. I'm a bit on edge lately." Finn mumbled his apology.

"It's alright. Did you tell her you love her?" Blaine asked kindly, tucking one more bowtie into a zippered pocket of his suitcase.

"Yeah. Yeah I did. She even told me she loved me too." Finn rolled his head back and a picture on Blaine's desk caught his eye. He turned in the chair to pick it up, his thumb tracing over the graduation picture of he, Rachel, Kurt, and Blaine. They all had on the bright red cap and gowns, Finn and Rachel in the middle, with Kurt on the other side of Rachel and Blaine on the other side of Finn. And they all had their arms around each other.

Everything back then was so simple. They were just four friends that graduated high school together, all with big dreams of living life in New York City. Now it was like they were all drifting apart.

Kurt and Blaine barely talked unless someone else was in the room, and Finn and Rachel were clearly having a hard time. Things were just so much harder to stick together now. They all had other friends and it felt like they saw less and less of each other every month. He smiled slightly and ran his thumb over Rachel's beautiful face.

"Well you know I'm just a text or a call away. I really hope you and Rachel can talk this out. She's been walking around the apartment either all sad or she walks around slamming things." Blaine shook his head and zipped his suitcase up, placing it on the ground and grabbing his messanger bag.

Finn felt even worse, so he'd basically made her this catatonic sad person instead her bright cheery self. Awesome.

"You gotta go already? You need any help getting to the taxi?" Finn asked politely.

"Nah I got it. It's only my suitcase and messanger bag. Thanks though, give me a bro hug?" Blaine smiled cheekily and held his arms out in front of him. Finn laughed and pulled Blaine in for a quick hug, patting him on the back as they pulled away.

"Have fun." Finn smiled and followed Blaine out of his aparment and downstairs. He waved to Blaine as they got into separate cabs and took off. Finn sighed as his phone rang merely seconds after and Kurt's picture flashed on his screen.

"What?" Finn said, sounding exasperated.

"Don't sound so thrilled." Kurt sniped back. "I was merely calling to ask if you were coming over here so we could plan our night." He clarified.

"Why do you need me to help? You and Rachel are always our event planners! And what's to plan anyways? We're just gonna eat dinner right?" Finn exclaimed.

"I just thought you'd want to be a part of the planning. You know Rachel hates it when we wing it. We both know she's neurotic. Besides it will only be the three of us." Kurt said enthusiastically. Finn muffled a laugh at Rachel's indignant "Hey!" from the other side of the phone.

"Rachel's gonna be there today?" Finn gulped, his mind making the connection after a moment.

"Well yeah. She's spending the weekend at our apartment. I thought that with Blaine gone, a little sleepover was in order. And she won't have to take the bus or train to the apartment on Thanksgiving. It's perfect." Finn could practically hear Kurt's smile through the phone.

Finn sighed. "I don't know Kurt." He still wasn't convinced this would be the best idea. He just didn't know how to tell Kurt that.

"C'mon. We were thinking of doing something else before dinner and we really wanted your input." Kurt took on a sweeter tone, making Finn suspicious.

"Alright. What is this really about Kurt? Why do you actually want me over?" Finn deadpanned.

"Dammit. How do you do that?" Kurt sighed. "Fine. Being the very observant person I am, I've noticed a rift forming between you and one Rachel Berry. I'm not sure what's up with her, but she just spent all of last night curled up with me on my bed, crying her eyes out." Kurt told him matter-of-factly.

Finn felt his breath hitch. She'd been crying too?

"Did she say what it was about?" Finn asked quickly.

"No. I was thinking it was because Andrew had left the other day. But I just don't think that's it. He leaves at least once every few months. But you guys haven't really spoken these past few days, and you've barely made eye contact when she comes over. I know something is up, and I just want this holiday to be a good one. And with you and Rachel clearly feeling awkward, that just won't happen. Please Finn?" Kurt pleaded.

Finn sighed, trying to rather his rushing thoughts. The image of a sobbing Rachel making his stomach turn uncomfortably. "Uh yeah, fine. I'm just gonna pick up some lunch and then I'll be over there okay?" Finn told him.

"Good, thank you Finn. See you soon." Kurt said, sounding relieved.

Finn hung up the phone and threw his head back against the top of his seat. Guess he was going to be talking to Rachel sooner rather than later.

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Kurt knocked softly on the door of his own bedroom, patitently waiting for a response. "Rach? Can I come in? Are you decent?" Kurt asked quietly. The other side of the door was silent for a moment before Rachel pulled open the door.

"It is your room Kurt." Rachel said sadly before walking dejectedly back to the bed and plopping down. Kurt looked around at the used tissues littered all over his bed, making mental note to wash his sheets thoroughly on their next laundry day.

He'd just gotten off the phone with Finn and was now determined to get Rachel to shower and look decent.

Kurt sighed as his eyes made their way to Rachel's sad form. "C'mon Diva. This is the weekend when we're supposed to be grateful for everything we have. We should be happy! You have me and both your dads that love you more than anything in the whole world. Finn and Blaine also love you dearly. I know Sebastian doesn't always show it, but he loves you too." Kurt chuckled. Rachel managed to crack a small smile.

"Look, don't let my dope of a brother determine your happiness. I wish you'd just tell me what happened between you two." Kurt sat on the bed next to her and ran his hand over the back of her hair comfortingly.

"Kurt, I really don't want to talk okay? We've been through this so many times in the past few hours." Rachel sniffled.

"Which is exactly why you should tell me what happened. We always tell eachother everything!" Kurt laid down next to her and turned his head to look at her. She was turned away from him, her hair pulled back into pigtails and her tired body clad in sweatpants and some really baggy McKinley High T-shirt he'd never seen her wear before.

Noting that Rachel had her back turned to him and she didn't look like she was going to divulge anything anytime soon, Kurt sighed again and relaxed a little, letting the oddly soothing sounds of New York traffic calm in into a somewhat lethargic state.

His mind was running with ideas on what Rachel could possibly be upset about. Did it even have to do with Finn? Or was she pregnant and afraid of telling Andrew, so that his departure a few days ago was only making Rachel even more nervous and upset? Or maybe Rachel was a born assassin that was sent to kill them all and now she was having second thoughts because she actually enjoyed their company?

Kurt chuckled to himself at that last one. Rachel Berry did not have the capability to be sneaky. She also didn't have the ability to kill anyone. She couldn't even leaving the pet store without crying like a baby at the state of all the puppies and kittens.

Now that his mind was only full of ridiculous ideas, Kurt decided just to drop it for the moment. He still had some time before Finn got here. He could take a little nap and still get Rachel into the shower on time.

They laid there in silence for about half an hour, Kurt slowly drifting off to sleep, his eyes closing before Rachel shifted so she was resting against Kurt's chest. It didn't feel as warm and large as Finn's cuddly chest, but it still felt extremely comforting.

She ran her hand down Kurt's dark purple tie and looked up at him. "I'm really glad you're my best friend. I don't know what I'd do without you. I'm sorry I don't show it enough." Rachel wiped a stray tear off her cheek as she sniffled again. Kurt opened his eyes and looked down at her.

"Don't be sorry. I already know how much you love me. I don't need you to prove it." Kurt smiled at her and wrapped his right arm around her shoulders, giving her a hug.

"But I treat you so horribly. I treat you like my doormat. I treat everybody like my doormat. I'm just going to end up alone with six cats in an old cottage off the beaten track somewhere before I die an extremely lonely and depressing death. And then my cats will slowly eat my body until there is nothing left. No trace of that bitchy diva Rachel Berry." Rachel said dejectedly.

Kurt held in a laugh. "I know it's hard for you, but don't be so dramatic Rachel. It's who you are, your personality is a little demanding, but your amazing traits outweigh your less pleasant ones. Besides, sometimes you treat me like a sidekick, but then you always realize what you're doing and remind me of why you are my very best friend in the whole world. Don't forget that. I'm Kurt Hummel, if I didn't like the way you treated me, I wouldn't be here right now would I?" Kurt tapped her nose.

"I love you." Rachel buried her nose in Kurt's shoulder and sniffled yet again.

"Love you too Diva. Now please tell me! Is this about Finn? Or Andrew? Or something entirely different?" Kurt immediately went into his gossip mode and rubbed his eyes, awaiting her reply.

Rachel seemed to struggle with herself for a moment before she gave a defeated sigh. "Given the fact that I don't think you'll drop this anytime soon," Rachel said pointedly, glancing up at Kurt who nodded in agreement, "I will tell you. But this must be in the strictest of confidence. If you tell anyone else our circle of trust will be thus broken. Pinky promise?" She held her pinky out to Kurt who snorted in amusememt and linked their pinky's, curling them together and shaking them.

"Fabulous. Now who made you upset?" Kurt sat up slightly, bringing Rachel with him as he propped himself up on the headboard and she curled into his side.

"Finn." Rachel said quietly, as though ashamed.

"Finn?! I knew it! I had a feeling something was up between you two, usually you're so touchy and friendly with each other but lately you've been so cold." Kurt looked pleased with himself before he gestured for Rachel to continue.

"So. I don't really know how to say this." Rachel stuttered out. How do you tell your best friend that you're in love with his brother and have been since elementary school?

"I'm sure nothing you say can shock me Rach. I've seen you naked, I've seen you mid sex, I've literally seen you at your worst. Nothing can surprise me." Kurt assured her. Rachel gave him a skeptical look.

"Yeah we'll see about that. Um so," Rachel breathed out frustratedly, wishing she could just spit it out. "I am um. IaminlovewithFinn." She stumbled out at lightning speed.

"What? Speak at a normal speed honey." Kurt chuckled, a smile plastered on his face.

Rachel heaved a sigh before speaking more slowly and clearly. "I'm in love with Finn." Kurt was silent for a moment, the smile that was on his face disappearing completely.

After a minute of shocked silence, Kurt lept off the bed causing Rachel to fall face forward into the spot Kurt had previously occupied. "You what?! How am I just finding out about this now? Why didn't you tell me earlier? How long have you known? Does anyone else know? Oh god, if you two got married, we could actually be related! Imagine how awesome that would be!" Kurt squealed excitedly, his voice rising in pitch with every question and thought he voiced. He was pacing both nervously, and excitedly.

Leave it to Kurt to only be mad that he didn't find out sooner. She should've known he wouldn't be upset with her for falling in love with his brother.

"Kurt! Kurt! Calm down please. Let's not talk about marriage, that's the last thing on my mind right now." Rachel buried her face in her hands and rubbed her temples.

"Right, right sorry. So what happened? You tell him how you feel or something? Did he act like a douchebag to you? I will make his life a living hell if he treated you like shit." Kurt said suddenly, his voice growing with a tint of anger, pointing his finger at Rachel seriously.

"Kurt." Rachel warned.

"Crap sorry. Go on." Kurt held his hands up and put his on finger to his lips, silencing himself.

"So, I had a little jealously fit a couple weeks ago. You know when he first brought Erica here. So we started getting a little distant then I guess. So we'd been avoiding each other a bit since that morning. Then we made up a bit when you took me shopping. I guess I just let my jealousy take over when Erica talked about her and Finn having sex before arriving for dinner." Rachel wiped some more tears off of her face as Kurt ran sympathetically to her side.

She sniffed in and continued. "So when I stormed outside he followed me. He told me he loved me after I confessed my feelings toward him. It was just so weird you know? Like it felt like we'd gotten even closer after we made up at your apartment. And then we'd smile at each other thoughout the day and for godssake he told me he loved me! And then he says we should just stay with Andrew and Erica! Like it wouldn't affect me at all. He turned me down Kurt! And now he's acting like I was the bitch!" Rachel cried desperately, he hands gripping the lapels of Kurt's jacket. Kurt rubbed her back soothingly and spoke quietly.

"Did he say why?" Kurt asked, torn between being angry at Finn for messing with Rachel's feelings, and angry at Rachel for not telling him about all of this sooner.

"He said he didn't want me to cheat. Well we didn't have to cheat. We could've just agreed to talk over our feelings for each other somewhere else. But he just turned me down." Rachel blew her nose.

"Well Finn is shit under pressure. Maybe it just caught him off guard?" Kurt suggested. He'd have to have a chat with Finn later, get his side of the story. He had a feeling that wasn't really what happened. Finn would never be that heartless. Or stupid.

"Maybe. I just wish is never told him. Now everything will just be weird and awkward whenever we're together because we'll know how we really feel. I don't know what to do anymore." Rachel said hopelessly.

"Well don't give up. Maybe you guys need to sit down, it a quiet secluded place, and talk it out. Without any interruptions and without anyone else near. This weekend is the perfect opportunity. Andrew and Erica are both out of town for the holiday and I'll just make up some excuse to leave." Kurt told her.

"No. I-I can't Kurt. I don't want to loose him. I just want to go back to being friends. Everything was so simple and we could just be ourselves around each other. Now everything feels wrong. I'm so stupid." Rachel buried her head in the pillow.

"You're not stupid. You just wanted to stop holding in your feelings, there's nothing wrong with that. Are you sure you want to go back to being friends?" Kurt rubbed her back, handing her the box of tissues as she pulled her head from the pillow.

"I dont know what to feel or do anymore. Fighting with Finn is just the worst, I feel like I'm in some sort of limbo. And poor Andrew, he doesn't deserve this." Rachel wiped her nose.

Kurt was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out what he wanted to say. Finally he spoke. "Okay, if you were single. And both Andrew and Finn were your friends, and they both had feelings for you. Which one would you choose? Whatever name comes to mind first." Kurt asked.

Rachel pretended to think about Kurt's question, but in reality her mind already answeed the question the moment it left Kurt's lips. _Finn_. She'd always choose Finn. Finn made her feel like she could fly, he treated her so tenderly and lovingly that it was impossible for her to choose anyone else over him.

She responded by sobbing into Kurt's shoulder. "F-Finn. I-I'd choose F-Finn." She managed out as Kurt pulled her off him and wiped her tears.

"Why are you crying so hard?" Kurt asked softly.

"Because I'm a terrible person. Look at what I'm doing to Andrew. I shouldn't be leading him on like this. And Finn? I treated him so poorly the other day. I y-yelled at him and I've been giving him the cold shoulder ever since." Rachel cried.

"First of all, the fact that you feel guilt is good. It means you actually care about him. If you didn't care for him, this wouldn't be eating you up inside. And as for Finn, maybe he deserved to be yelled at. Maybe it'll bring him back to the real world. He needs a reality check." Kurt appeased her. She just looked at him sadly.

"How about you just take this thing one day at a time. Talk to Finn tonight, figure out what you both want, what you both want to do about your feelings. Then go from there okay?" Kurt lifted her chin and took at look at her mascara stained face. "But first, I think you need to shower. Then we can talk with Finn about what we're gonna do this weekend. Let's just think about good things right now." Kurt smiled at her and stood up, taking her hands and bringing her with him.

"Deal." She blew her nose into her tissue once more and threw her arms around Kurt. "Thank you so much, Kurt. I love you." She said into his shoulder.

Kurt chuckled lightly and rubbed her back. "I love you too." He pulled away and smiled at her. "Now go get the shower turned on. I'll set out your clothes on the bed. Then I'll go get the snacks ready." Kurt tapped her nose again and walked to her suitcase. She sighed and smiled at her bestfriend before turning around and heading to the bathroom.

Maybe Kurt was right. She needed to have an adult conversation with Finn, and she needed to not storm out again. It's the diva in her, she can't help it. That conversation would determine what they'd do, she decided. She'd treat him better and play nice. If he wanted to be with her as much as she wanted to be with him, they could go for it.

She turned the knobs on the shower to her ideal temperature and shut the door quietly, pulling out a towel from the shelf and beginning to rid her herself of her clothes. She dropped her sweatpants first, kicking them to the side. She fisted the XXL T-shirt in her hands and smiled at the fading lettering. Then she brought the t-shirt up to her nose and sniffed. It smelled so much like Finn.

Of course, she did steal it from Finn's room so naturally it would smell like him. It was like, that old spice cologne, fresh laundry, and something just distinctly Finn that made goosebumps erupt on her arms. It didn't help that he was so freakin hot. He had more baby fat in high school, but now he was just this lovingly, muscular, sexy beast of a man.

_I wonder if he's going to wear that sexy grey sweater tonight._ Rachel bit her lip at the thought. She loved when he rolled the sleeves up, so that his big tough forearms were right in her view. It made her so hot she felt like she had to fan herself. Andrew had muscles, but not like Finn's.

Andrew was a few inches shorter than Finn and didn't have nearly as much warmth and love radiating off him. She just never thought he felt that way about her. He was loving to everyone so she never thought she was any different. She always had her suspicions because of the way he'd look at her sometimes or the way he'd touch her. But then he'd get a girlfriend. He had several in high school, one in middle school, and thre or four short lived relationships since they moved to New York. And now that trollop Erica.

So Rachel gave up on the thought of her and Finn for a while. Andrew was sweet and he was respectable to her. Not to mention he was older and had a very stable job. But Finn just made her feel so good. This all was so confusing and unfair to everyone involved, she felt like ripping her damn hair out. After unclipping her bra and throwing it into the pile of clothes, she stepped into the hot water, pleased at the feel of the warm stream washing away her troubles.

She spent a warm, glorious, fifteen minutes in the shower before the banging on the door startled her. "Hey Rach? Finn's here. You almost done?" Kurt's voice rang out from the other side of the door.

Rachel snapped the cap back on her body wash and replied, "Yeah! I'll be out as soon as I get dressed!" Rachel called back. Kurt yelled back an okay and Rachel felt butterflies erupt in her stomach. Finn was out there and he was probably looking all sexy in his dark jeans, his hair all messy with tufts sticking out here and there.

_Stop it Rachel. You have a boyfriend. _She firmly told herself as she dried off and wrapped the towel around her body, preparing to make a run for the bed so she could get the clothes Kurt picked out for her.

Since they obviously weren't going out tonight, Kurt picked out a simple pair of skinny black jeans and tight red top, one of the many outfits Kurt and Santana helped her choose when she went shopping with them. Pleased with her outfit, she quickly got dressed and put on some light makeup before blow drying her hair and pulling it up into a tight ponytail, letting her bangs fall naturally to the side.

She smiled at herself in the mirror, hoping Finn would think she looked sexy. He always called her cute or beautiful. Which was great, but she wanted to be called sexy for once. She walked down the hall and heard him before she actually saw him. He was talking to Kurt about some game on the xbox as Kurt made up the cheese platter, Finn of course stealing some when Kurt turned around to slice more cheese.

"So I totally kicked his ass in the final round." Finn said proudly. Rachel peered around the corner of the hallway and felt her heart thumb faster as her eyes locked onto his tight round butt in the air as he leaned against the window divinding the kitchen from the living room. And, oh lord. He was wearing that sexy gray sweater. Help.

"Well I'm glad you and Will are getting along so well." Kurt smiled at his brother and he finished arranging the cheese on the platter and wiped his hands on a towel. Rachel cleared her throat and walked into the living room right past Finn, resisting the urge to cup his butt in her hands and squeeze.

"All cleaned up Diva?" Kurt asked happily, his eyes asking her if she was emotionally okay.

"Yep. That shower really did me some good." Rachel kissed Kurt's cheek and stole a piece of cheese. "Hi Finn." She added shyly in his direction. He looked shocked that she spoke to him and took a moment to respond.

"H-hey Rach!" He was obviously trying and failing miserably to be subtle. She shot him a small, weary smile as she planted herself at the small kitchen table overlooking the city. He shot her a half smile back and disappeared from the small window, reappearing in the kitchen a moment later. He walked feverishly over to the table and sat down across from Rachel smiling at her the entire time.

Kurt looked at the two of them and almost burst into tears. He'd honestly been waiting for this since high school, when Rachel and Finn had first become friends. He never really expected it to happen, but now that he knew how each of them felt, he couldn't have been more excited. He knew it was a little presumptuous, but the idea of getting to plan his best friend and big brothers wedding was quickly becoming a very desirable idea.

And he loved them both so much so the idea that two of his favorite people in the world loved each other made him feel like a happy father for some reason.

He stifled his excitement however, and brought the cheese and wine over to the table. "Cheese and Wine? We aren't old people Kurt." Finn stated as he eyed the red wine Kurt was popping open. Rachel giggled a little and Finn's head shot over to look at her, disbelief written all over his face. He seemed so shocked that she was acting friendly towards him.

He seemed very confused as to why Rachel was suddenly acting friendly. "So of course we're going to eat dinner together tomorrow, but what else should we do? It's only the three of us so itll be easier and cheaper! I was thinking a broadway show before dinner." Kurt suggested happily.

"Then we can all help make dinner! It'll be a fun bonding experience for the three of us." Rachel added quickly. Kurt nodded enthusiastically.

"Finn? Any suggestions?" Kurt turned to his brother who was happily eating cheese.

"Uh, I dunno. Burt and I used to watch the football game on thanksgiving. And the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade." Finn shrugged.

"I'm sure Rach and I could suffer though a game with you." Kurt chuckled.

"This will be a good bonding weekend for us. It's been a long time since it's been just the three of us." Kurt smiled at each of them in turn. "You know, maybe we'll just skip the show and stay here. Have a sleepover and watch movies together. Eat popcorn, and then tomorrow we'll cook and watch tv. Like our own mini family" Kurt added. "Sound good to you guys?"

Rachel nodded enthusiastically and Finn sipped his wine before agreeing. "It sounds perfect Kurt." They started some small talk and blew through their cheese plate, as well as two bottles of wine. Rachel was hiccuping slightly, but other than that, they were as sober as can be.

"Well I say we sleep in the living room tonight. We can watch movies. And eat popcorn and drink soda!" Kurt said excitedly. "It'll be just like high school." He added.

"I don't drink soda remember?" Rachel smiled at Kurt. "But other than that it sounds like a great idea. Finn?" Rachel turned to a surprised Finn. He'd been quiet for the past few minutes, merely listening politely to Rachel and Kurt conversing.

"Um yeah. I'm totally up for it." Finn smiled, his eyes never leaving Rachel, something that didn't go unnoticed by Kurt who had an almost devilish look in his eyes.

"Well fabulous then. Why don't you two go find some extra blankets and pillows and set things up?" Kurt stood up and walked into the living, grabbing his coat and scarf before beginning to pull to them on.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Rachel asked worriedly. She wasn't exactly ready to be alone with Finn yet. She knew they needed to talk like adults and be civil, but she was nervous as fuck. Kurt failed to keep the smirk off his face as Rachel appeared in the doorway separating the kitchen and living room.

"I need to get some more soda and find you something to drink. I was think some Snapple. I know that the Cranberry Raspberry and the Grapeade are your favorites." Kurt said loud enough for Finn to hear. He was currently cleaning up their glasses and the cheese platter in the sink.

"You planned this didn't you?" Rachel whispered into Kurt's ear. He looked outraged.

"Of course not!" His smile was giving him away however. "Just talk okay? I just want two of the most important people in my life to get along. I'll give you at least half an hour." Kurt kissed her cheek and grabbed his keys and wallet waving to Finn from the kitchen window above the sink. He waved back with his soapy hands.

Rachel blew through her lips, her bangs lifting slightly as she glared at the door Kurt had gone though and glanced at Finn who now had his head down. She plucked up all the courage she had and made her way back into the kitchen. Finn shot her a half smile as she went to stand next to him.

"Why don't I help you with the dishes?" She asked, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

"Uh yeah." Finn fumbled a bit with the soap bottle before passing it over to her. She dipped her hands in the other side of the double sink and began washing the dishes from the day. She kept sneaking glances at him out of the corner of her eye. He had his fucking sleeves rolled up. And his sexy forearms were all wet and soapy. Damn him.

_Andrew. Remember your boyfriend Rachel._ She told herself as they finished washing the dishes, moving on to drying them with towels. The silence was killing her so she cleared her throat and decided to say something. "Um, so how have you been?" She almost smacked herself for how incredibly basic that question was.

Finn smiled at her however before answering. "Alright I guess. Been kinda quiet without my motormouth best friend around." Finn smirked over at Rachel who smacked him with her towel. She felt relieved that they could still act normally around each other, even with how awkward everything felt around them.

"I know how you feel. My apartment actually has food in it. It's crazy, because this one friend of mine is _always_ eating all the food. He just comes over unannounced and eats whatever is in my fridge." She smiled over at him and he narrowed his eyes playfully.

"Oh that's funny. Are you calling me fat?" He chuckled.

"Absolutely not. As a firefighter, I expect your body is very defined and lovely." As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt a deep blush spread all over her face and she didn't dare look at him. She really did have a big mouth.

"Thanks." He said quietly, and she could feel his eyes on her as he placed the plate in the cupboard and hung the towel back on the rack. She followed suite and finished putting the silverware away.

"So let's go get those blankets in the closet shall we?" She changed the subject quickly and bolted out the room, Finn hot on her heels.

"Rach? I know things are exactly 'okay' between us, but are you okay? You're acting really weird." He said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to him. She refused to look up at him, feeling embarrassed about her behavior. She simply didn't know how to handle anything that was going on.

"We should talk." Rachel sighed finally as Finn shook his head in agreement. "But let's get the blankets and stuff first. That way Kurt doesn't get suspicious." Rachel told him, pulling her arm from his grip and walking down the hall to the closet. Finn came up behind her and she could practically feel his breath on her head as he grabbed the pillows from the top shelf. She breathed out and grabbed whatever blankets they had on the bottom shelf, following Finn out to the living room where they placed the items on the armchair.

There was an awkward sort of tension in the air as they stared at eachother. Finn gestured to the couch for her to sit down first. She managed a small smile before sitting delicately on the couch, Finn plopping down and moving Rachel a bit.

"So um, where should we start?" Finn asked, breaking the silence as he looked on nervously and fumbled his fingers together. Rachel felt her heart rate increase. This was it. They couldn't get any more chances than this. If this conversation didn't go well, it was probably a sign that they shouldn't be together. She always believed in signs.

"Well I think we should start with what happened the other night. W-what we were both thinking and feeling, as well as what we want to do about this newfound information." She knew she was being extremely formal but she didnt know how to phrase it any other way.

"Yeah that's uh good." Finn said, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. His giant forearms right in Rachel's view. And now that he was up close to him, she could see the slight scruff on his chiseled jaw. She wanted to lick him all over.

_Keep it in your pants Berry_. Rachel told herself firmly. "So I'll start. I think I've felt something for you for a while now," _Lies. You've practically always had a crush on him_. "But I also think that seeing you with Erica has really done a number on me." Rachel said self consciously.

Finn blew out his lips. "You mean, you were jealous?" Finn asked cautiously. She only nodded in response. "What made you get jealous now? Like, if you've liked me for a while, why is this just now coming up?" He added.

"Its a combination of things I guess. You've never really been that open about your relationships before, like sexually you know? Bringing the girl home, publicly stating your sexual activities, thats never been you. And also, I'm, well we're getting older. The longer I take to find the guy I want to marry, the less I'll have with him. I know I'm only in my mid-twenties, but time is limited. You never know when it's going to end." Rachel explained quickly. To compensate for her nervousness, she was of course rambling and speaking loudly.

She noticed Finn trying to hide his smile. "So uh, does that mean you've been considering me as a- a future h-husband?" Finn stuttered out. She could literally feel the nervousness come off him in waves. She herself felt her heart stop at his innocent question.

"Well, I-I suppose. I mean, I do love you after all." She said quietly, her head bowed down and her ponytail curved across her right shoulder. Finn started breathing faster. "What about you? What are feeling right now? What were you feeling the other night?" Rachel asked trying to change the subject.

"Well the other night, I don't know. I mean, we apologized to each other that morning and I was feeling really good about our friendship. Things with Erica were going well and I just felt like everything was going in a good direction. I'm still, uh, like really in love with you," Rachel shifted in her seat and wiped her eyes discreetly, "But ever since you got together with Andrew, I've felt like I don't have a chance. So lately I've been trying to move on. And it was working for a while. Until we talked. I dunno, it was like, my feelings for you just hit me all over again. And then at dinner, you said you wanted to be together, and my head was just so messed up." Finn put his head in his hands.

Rachel pushed her luck by scooting closer and rubbing Finn's back, feeling him tense for a moment before relaxing under her touch immediately. "Go on." She smiled supportively at him, seeing as this was obviously a very confusing time for him.

He smiled back at her and continued. "When you said that, I just, I was so caught off guard. I spent so many years hopelessly in love you, and then the moment I try to move on, you pull me back in so easily. If you hold that kind of power over me, what would happen to me if you broke my heart? Or vise-versa? I just know that any kind of relationship between would be dead. Because I couldn't be in the same room with you if I had you and then lost you. I know myself. I'd go crazy with jealously the day you finally decided to marry someone else." Finn said emotionally.

Rachel felt a kind of love she'd never felt before. He was being so open and just letting all his feelings out. No matter how 'unmanly' it sounded. And it made her love him even more.

"I feel the same way. Your friendship means so much to me. In high school, you just seemed so disinterested in pursuing anything with me. No matter how many times I hinted at us being together." Rachel agreed, rubbing his back more firmly.

"I was kinda dense back then. I didn't know anything about women to be honest. You could've thrown yourself at me and I probably wouldn't have thought anything of it other than teenage lust." Finn told her honestly. She nodded and continued.

"I think after that, I just got accustomed to be only your friend. I saw how friendly you were with everyone else and just assumed I was in the same boat. And then Andrew came along and he was so sweet, and for the first year and a half or so, I stopped thinking so much about you. I thought of you of course, but it was less and less romanticized. Guess jealously really opens your eyes huh?" She chuckled humorlessly.

"I think our problem is just really shitty timing." Finn said, sneaking a glance at her.

"Is that why you said we should stay with our partners?" Rachel asked, voicing one of the things that had been bothering her the most. If he loved her so much, why did he turn her down?

"Look, about that, I was just, I'm shit under pressure you know that. Everyone was right inside, and all I could think about was Erica and Andrew. If we had cheated right there in that alleyway. I don't want anyone to feel like they've been cheated on. And as the cheaters, how would we have felt." Finn told her dejectedly. "You just took it as I didn't want to be with you. That I'd rather be with Erica. Which I don't."

Rachel began piece together this new development. He still wanted her but didn't want her to feel guilty for cheating. And here she thought he was simply messing with her emotions because he still loved her, but wanted Erica. For her blonde hair, big boobs, and tall stature. Who wouldn't?

"But why couldn't we have just talked about it? The way you said it, it was like you'd rather be done and over with it instead of really thinking about what you wanted. I was hurt that you'd just cast aside my declaration of love without a second thought." Rachel asked hurtfully.

"I really didn't mean it that way. I just felt the pressure to get the conversation over with so the others wouldn't get suspicious. And I've loved you for a long time. I've thought about it everyday since that night. I think you're underestimating the way I feel about you Rach." Finn sighed and half smiled at her.

"So what you're saying is that you'd rather be with me?" She heaved out, her breath getting faster and faster and her heart almost beating right out of her chest.

"Yes. Of course I would." Finn looked more confident in himself as he nodded his head. "I'm tired of going in circles with this. We talk, we fight, we talk, we fight again, and we both get jealous. I just want us to be open and honest and really figure out what we want. Despite this shitty timing."

"What do you mean 'shitty timing'?" She asked, confused.

"I mean. With our relationships. I mean, me and Erica's isn't that serious, but weren't you thinking Andrew was going to- to propose?" Finn asked bitterly, his jealously and and sadness reaching an all time high at the thought.

Rachel's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "How did you know about that?" She asked astonished.

"I heard you and Kurt talking about it a few weeks ago. That's what really gave me the push I needed to think about moving on. Cause you being engaged? Not really the best time to tell you I'm in love with you." Finn told her.

"I wouldn't have said yes." Rachel said quietly.

"What?" Finn asked surprised. "But he's so mature and rich, and sophisticated." Finn mocked bitterly.

"But he's not you. I'm not going to lie, a part of me loves Andrew, how can you not love someone after being together for two years? And he's great to me and treats me right. But, I don't feel that spark with him. That feeling of needing to have him in my life or I'll go insane. It's a normal, boring kind of love that I have for him. I want someone that makes me feel so overjoyed I could explode." Rachel eyes were filled with passion and all she could think about was waking up in bed to find Finn's warm arm draped across her stomach. The thought send a million goosebumps over her body.

"When I even think about a future with you I get butterflies in my stomach. You make me feel alive and loved, and special. I don't think I'll ever find that feeling with someone else. I need to act before it's too late. Before you really move on. And that, more than anything pushed me to tell you how I feel." Rachel said, rubbing her fingers gently across his forehead, his eyes closing in contentment.

"So what does all this mean? You want to be together? In a real relationship?" Finn asked. He had leaned over so she was much closer to him, he seemed like he was literally hanging onto her answer and that answer would determine his life's happiness. Rachel moved her hand to caress his cheek softly.

"I mean, after we deal with Andrew and Erica of course, yes. Yes I would like that."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hearing Rachel say those words brought a level of happiness to Finn that he'd never felt in his entire life. They were sitting here, talking it out like adults, and she wanted to be with him. It was all he'd dreamed about for years. He didnt even know what to say. A small smile crept onto his face and he lifted his hand up to run it down Rachel's silky brown ponytail.

Now that their emotions weren't running wild, and the pressure to answer quickly wasn't there, they could both answer as truthfully and bluntly as they wanted.

And her answer felt so different from when they had their talk the other night. The other night, he felt overwhelmed and rushed into making a decision. All of their friends and both of their significant others were sitting right inside. The pressure to give her a genuine answer and not get caught was too great.

But now that they were in a calm environment, after days of thinking about what their declarations of love meant, he felt like they were making progress. Like her answer and his answer to their problem wasn't just a quick fix, it wasn't a spur of the moment thing. It was real.

Rachel closed her eyes as he caressed her hair softly. He felt like he couldn't get close enough to her. Her scent was making his own senses go into overdrive. "And what about you?" Rachel asked in a shaky voice, her beautiful eyes now searching his for answer.

Then he realized he'd hadn't even told her he wanted to be in a relationship. He'd just been staring at her and stroking her hair for five minutes.

"Y-yes. I've wanted to be in a relationship with you for so long." Finn answered gently.

"Then why did you turn me down the other night? I need to know what's different now." Rachel told him seriously, breathing out and running a hand through her silky bangs.

"Now?" Finn thought about how to phrase it for a moment. He never was very good with words. "Now there's really no pressure from other people. Now I've thought about what could happen if you and I drop Andrew and Erica completely. They were right inside Rach. What if someone had caught us? That would've ended so ugly." Finn supplied lamely. He shrugged his shoulders and looked at her thoughtful face.

"Guess I'm the one who's kinda looking bipolar now huh?" Finn chuckled humorlessly.

Rachel shrugged. "Can't say I really understand how you changed your mind so drastically. But I'm not really one to talk am I? The mind works in funny ways. One day your completely opposed to someone and the next day all you want is them. I know the feeling." Rachel smiled at him. Finn's stomach dipped and he smiled back at her.

"Yeah." Finn stared at her lovingly.

Rachel nodded and shifted a little in her spot. "So what do we do then?" She seemed to have made up her mind. She looked very determined.

"I guess, we break up with Andrew and Erica?" Finn asked, unsure of her reaction. "If you're okay with that." He added quickly.

"Are you sure you want to break up with Erica? Your heart is much safer with her obviously." Rachel asked him seriously.

"I don't care. I want you. And as for Erica, I don't want to hurt her anymore. She deserves better than being in a relationship with a guy who's using her to get over someone else." Finn explained sadly. He felt bad for saying it, but it was also a relief to be able to tell someone how he felt for real.

"And what about you and Andrew? You've been together for over two years. Are you willing to give up a stable relationship for me?" Finn shot back, not unkindly.

"I think that would be best. As much as I care for and love Andrew, this just isn't fair to him. I can't be with him if I'm in love with you. I love him too much to put him in that much pain. He's a really good guy." Rachel agreed sadly wiping tears from her eyes, she looked heartbroken.

Finn felt a wave of nausea wash over him every time Rachel said she loved Andrew. But he knew she loved Andrew. And he knew this wasn't going to be easy for her. Being with someone for that long, you're bound to grow attached to them, no matter your feelings for someone else.

"Are you sure? Because if you're not ready, we-I can wait. I'll wait as long as I have to." Finn told her supportively. He leaned back against the sofa and watched as she followed his movements, leaning back also.

"I mean, I can't say I won't miss him. Because I will. But I have to be cruel to be kind right? I don't want to ever regret not going for this with you Finn. I think I would if I turned you down." Rachel told him seriously. She still looked sad beyond belief.

"Are you really sure?" Finn pressed. He knew Rachel Berry too well not to know when she was feeling upset.

"This just- It isn't fair to him. He's always been so good to me and now it just feels like I'm throwing it back in his face. It makes me feel sick just to think about the look on his face when I tell him." Rachel cried, the tears slipping down her rosy cheeks.

He really didn't want to talk about Andrew with her. But he knew she needed to vent. And she was going to break up with Andrew for him. He had to be supportive.

"If you don't want to be with him, you'll be doing him a favor. You both deserve to be with people that you love unconditionally." Finn leaned closer to her and wiped her tears with his thumbs.

"I know, and I want him to be happy. I want him to be so happy, I just don't feel like I'd be able to make him as happy as he deserves. I love him, but I'm not in love him. Does that make any sense?" Rachel asked, crying a little more and leaning into Finn so that her head was resting on his chest.

He cradled her as lovingly as possible and felt his breath leave his body. He _loved_ holding her. "It makes complete sense Rach. It's the kind of love that you have for your family. A different kind of love." Finn agreed, running his hand down up and down her back soothingly. She hiccuped through her tears and ran her nose over his T-shirt, he closed his eyes at the feeling.

"I don't really know when I stopped feeling that kind of love for him. I feel so bad." Rachel sniffled.

"Don't feel bad. You're doing this for him. If you didn't love him at all, you would let him continue to be someone who can't give him their all. Everyone deserves that heart stopping kind of love." Finn told her sternly.

She nodded. "Do you think thats what we have?" She asked quietly. Her head was on his chest, he was sure she could hear the loud thumping of his heart at her question.

"I think that's what we could have. Right now, it's just pure love. I can feel it. And it could be so much more. It could be amazing Rachel." Finn said hoarsely, his voice full of feeling for her.

She seemed satisfied with his answer and he could feel her smile slightly against his shirt before she kissed it. "You're amazing." She whispered against him.

"Naw. I mean, I guess I'm pretty cool, aren't I? Like James Bond." Finn raised one eyebrow and put on a mock serious face, posing himself in James Bond's cocked gun stance.

"You're such a cheeseball Hudson." She chuckled through her tears.

"Hey, you love it." Finn tickled her a little. She squealed and tried to slap his hand away. He gripped her wrists lightly and pulled down with him so that he was laying on his back with her on top of him.

She kept giggled until his eyes caught hers and his grip on her loosened. She stared up at him, her head still near his chest. He stared back just as firmly, his hand moving to brush a stray hair away from her face. She visibly shivered at his touch as he swept her hair over to the side, cupping her cheek.

"You're so beautiful." He whispered to her. She looked at him with her big, brown doe eyes and smiled lovingly at him.

"So are you." She smiled playfully at him and ran her own fingers through Finn's hair that stuck up in front. Finn stared at her with so much emotion in his eyes that he wanted to explode. If it were any other woman calling him beautiful he would've been embarrassed. But it was Rachel, and somehow that automatically made it okay.

He wanted to kiss her more than he wanted to breathe. But they had to break up with Andrew and Erica first. He couldn't allow either of them to cheat. She seemed to silently agree with him. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek once, the feel of her soft, warm lips on his stumbly cheek making him swoon.

He sighed happily as she laid her head down on his chest, as if needing to listen to his heartbeat. He relaxed and started run his hand up and down her back, the curve of her delicious behind taunting him as it swept just above it every so often.

Her hot breath created a warm spot on his t-shirt that spread throughout his whole body and made his toes curl. He kissed the top of head and she glanced up at him, an enormous smile on her face.

"Mmmm." She mumbled sleepily. "This is nice. I've always loved cuddling with you though." She rested her chin on his chest and stared up at him.

"Me too. Sometimes, when I cant sleep, I think about how warm and sweet your body feels against mine and I fall asleep instantly. Does that make me a creepy stalker?" Finn chuckled.

"No. It makes you an adorable fool who's obviously madly in love with a crazy, loud diva." Rachel giggled.

"True." Finn smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight. "So we're really gonna do this huh?" Finn asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.

"We are. I cant say its completely unexpected though. I know I've always felt something for you. I was just to scared of ruining our friendship." Rachel laid her head back down on his chest and brought her hands up to wrap them around his neck.

"Me too. I was afraid of never having any kind of relationship with you if it ended badly." Finn agreed, rubbing her back for firmly. Now he wished he had told her sooner.

"I'm glad we decided to go for it though. I was tired of hiding my really feelings for you." Rachel pecked his chest again.

"Tell me about it." Finn'a laugh reverberated throughout his chest and he could feel Rachel grin at the feeling.

"You think Kurt's coming back?" Rachel asked.

"He has been gone like fourty five minutes." Finn agreed, checking his watch.

As in on cue, the lock on the door started to jiggle and Rachel lept up off of Finn. "We can't tell anyone yet. Not until after we deal with Andrew and Erica." Rachel whispered, smoothing out her top. Finn nodded in agreement, this could not get out before they were ready.

"Hey guys." Kurt's voice rang out from the door as he dropped his keys in the bowl. Rachel busied herself with the blankets and sleeping bags, pretending like her and Finn had just been a very intimate position. Finn ran a hand through his hair and did his best to smooth it down. Rachel always loved to run her fingers through his hair, but it always made it very messy.

"You guys ready to get your sleepover on?" Kurt asked excitedly. Rachel nodded with a smile on her face.

"Oh yeah. Get to watch musicals with my little brother and motormouth best friend. Yay." Finn joked as he stood up.

"You'll have fun. Besides we won't just watch musicals. I have Catching Fire and Deathly Hallows remember?" Kurt smiled at his brother. "Now lets go change into our pajamas. I'm more than ready to relax." Kurt grabbed Rachel's hand and led her to his room so they could change.

Rachel turned and blew him a kiss before Kurt shut the door. Finn stared stupidly at the door for a moment, like a little puppy in love, before he looked up at the ceiling with a huge smile on his face. He and Rachel were finally going to be together. He'd never felt happier than he did in this moment.


End file.
